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CHEMIST, 

The Free Child's Jubilee 

.. OR .. 

Deliverance From Scriptural Bondage 
and Creed Standards. 

irj^us'i'ra.ted by scripturai, characters, such as 

Serpents, Beasts and Birds, Spoken 

OF BY THE Prophets. 

Fifty Different Subjects Compi^ete in one VoivUme, 
Written to Encourage Seekers of 
Truth in Spirituai. Liberty 
in Christ. 

A Book of 335 Pages. 



PRICE: Cloth Bound, _ _ _ $1.00. 

Moproeo, - - - - 1.25. 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



PRICE: $ .50 



Address all orders to 

a. p. BROW^N, 



Ttfton, Iowa. 



0061 91 AVW 



/V/ 



TWO COF^iEs RECEIVED. 

library of Con^ret* 

MAY161900 

Beffftter of Copyfiyht«, 
SECOND COPY, 



58722 



HALL & PAIGE CO. 
Printers, 

Cresxon, Iowa. 



Usury vs* Cash and Christ 

OR 

PRIVATE CREDIT SLAVERY. 



Showing what it is costing the American people to 

practice the private credit system of usury, 

and its opposition to cash and Christ. 



^^^^ (>, ^On<-u^'yi. 



L 



PREFACE. 



I have used the words usury and interest as synon- 

amous terms and my aim has been to keep clear of 

partisanism; neither has the book been written with 

any other than the kindest of feeling to any party or 

nation, but if I have spared usury wherever found, it 

has been my lack of ability to expose it. 

Author. 



Copyrighted by G, P. Brown, May, 1900. 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

First Chapter. — Defines usury and its location 
and who suffers from its evil power, showing 
that it is the credit ob^gation that draws usury 
and not money. This chapter gives the amount 
of debt the American people are paying interest 
on, also the financial bill that became a law 
March 14,-iQOo; including the national debt and 
the national bank's issue and loans and the 
amount of money in circulation, - - - i 

Second Chapter. — Joseph Enslaving Egypt, - 17 

Third Chapter. — Israel's Deliverance from Bond- 
age, - 31 

Fourth Chapter — Israel' Second Captivity, - ^|2 

Fifth Chapter. — The Jews return to iheir native 
land to find it in usury credit slavery, - - 58 

Sixth Chapter.— Jesus preaching that all men 
should seek the Kingdom of God instead of 
lordship, - 61 

Seventh Chapter.— Christ's apostles and angels 
testimony of God's love for man and His desire 
that they might be saved to live with Him here 
on this earth, 71 

Eighth Chapter. — Our present private credit 
system and its effect on all the avocations of life 'j'] 

Ninth Chapter. — All the scripture relating to 
usury, - - 90 

Tenth Chapter. — A demonstration of seven per 
cent, interest; also some ot the opinions of min- 
isters and statesmen, 94 



CHAPTER I. 

Usury is an evil at the end of ^credit systems, 
located midway between producers and consumers, 
collecting extortion both ways, while usury is neither 
a producer nor consumer; but an absorber of the re- 
ward of what others have labored for. It gathers what 
others have strewn and reaps what others have sown; 
it taices from him that has one dollar and gives to him 
that has ten; it forces a promise of money from him 
that has none, to pay him that has plenty ,'al ways being 
secured by the valuation of property or labor. Money 
cannot be security for its own payment, on account of 
its being a legal tender and would of itself destroy the 
debt; so money never draws interest. It is the obliga- 
tion that draws usury and not the money. For money 
can only exist by the fiat of staple government, having 
two essential qualities; one is a government stamp, the 
other, a legal tender quality, its fixed denomination 
given it by law as a medium of exchange of the value 
of labor or property. Whether the price is high or 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



low, money will make the exchange correct, but never 
measures value or increases in its denomination by the 
fluctuation of prices, of labor or product, and no gov- 
ernment will allow any individual or corporation to 
add too or take from the figures fixed upon govern- 
ment money. And as governments develope their 
commerce and increase in prosperity and population, 
more money is required to do a general cash business, 
but it is claimed, by the representatives of various pri- 
vate credit systems, that America has all the full legal 
tender money it needs, and that no American has any 
reason to complain of money being scarce. 

If thi<? be true, why is the producer's farms mort- 
gaged, and one-half of the consumers living in tena- 
ment houses? And why is the remainder of consum- 
ers forced to pay interest on nearly every article of 
life on account of credit systems, called trusts, being 
formed to handle our commerce? And why does 
bankers stock increase in value so much faster than 
real estate; and why does the American laborer have 
so small a pittance after paying the prices or expense 
of their living; and why does the producer and consum- 
er have to pay interest on 28 000,000,000 of credit? As 
is given in the following statement, the combined cap- 
ital stock of the railway systems is given in the 
eleventh statistical report of the United States Com- 
merce Commission, for 1898 and from the summaries 
in this report the figures below are taken. 

The amount of railway capital outstanding on June 
30, i8q8, was $10,818,554,031 of credit. The amount of 
capital which existed in the form of stocks was $5,388,- 
268331, of which $4,269,271,714 was common stock and 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



$1,118,996,607 was prefered stock. The amount which 
existed in the form of funded debt was $5, 430,285,710 
comprising mortgage bonds. Then from a table care- 
fully prepared, giving a list of 551 principal trusts in 
this country, which figures are as nearly correct as can 
be obtained, which makes their total amount $9,551,- 
184,959; $7,318,844,000 of common stock;'52,282,340,95o 
prefered stock. Then the national bank trust, accord- 
ing to the report of the comptroller of currency, have 
loaned $2,496,751,251; $1,063,701,130, being secured by 
stocks and bonds; $525,940,817, being secured by two 
name paper, the balance of the loan being secured by 
one name paper. 

The amount loaned by state banks, as near as can 
be obtained, is $1,810,607,221; the loans of trust com- 
panies and building and loan associations and by pri- 
vate individuals on real estate and buildings is $3,419,- 
280,035. All those credit systems added up makes 
$28,096,377,488 for the American people to pay inter- 
est on, which at 5 per cent, per annum, amounts to 
$1,404,808,834 each year. Yet the principal remains 
unpaid, making the per capita debt of the American 
people $374 the yearly interest at 5 per cent, per cap- 
ita, being $18; this not including the National debt, 
which will be better understood by giving the finan- 
cial bill as it became a law, March 14, 1900. 

"That the dollar consisting of 25 8-10 grains of 
gold, nine tenths fine, as established by section 3,511 
of the revised statutes of the United States, shall be 
the standard unit of value, and all forms of money is- 
sued or coined by the United Stated shall be 
maintained at a parity of value with this standard, and 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



it shall be the duty of the secretary of the treasury to 
maintain such parity. 

REDEEMED IN GOLD COIN. 

^'Section 2. That United States notes and treasury 
notes issued under the act of July 14, 1890, when pre- 
sented to the treasury for redemption shall be re- 
deemed in gold coin of the standard fixed in the first 
section of this act, and in order to secure the prompt 
and certain redemption of such notes as herein pro- 
vided it shall be the duty of the secretary of the 
treasury to set apart in the treasury a reserve fund of 
$150,000,000 in gold coin and bullion, which fund shall 
be used for such redemption purposes only, and when- 
ever and as often as any of said notes shall be re- 
deemed from said fund it shall be the duty of the 
secretary of the treasury to use said notes so redeemed 
to restore and maintain such reserve fund in the man- 
ner following — towit: 

"i. By exchanging the notes so redeemed for any 
gold coin in the general fund of the treasury. 

"2. By accepting deposits of gold coin at the 
treasury or at any sub-treasury in exchange for the 
United States notes so redeemed. 

"3. By procuring gold coin by the use of said 
notes in accordance with the provisions of section 3,700 
of the revised statutes of the United States. 

TO MAINTAIN A RESERVE FUND. 

"If the secretary of the treasury is unable to restore 
and maintain the gold coin in the reserve fund by the 
foregoing methods and the amount of such gold coin 
and bullion in said fund shall at any time fall below 
$100,000,000, then it shall be his duty to restore the 



4. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

same to the maximum sum of $150,000,000 by borrow- 
ing money on the credit of the United States, and for 
the debt thus incurred to issue and sell coupon or reg- 
istered bonds of the United States in such form as he 
may prescribe in denominations of $50 or any multiple 
thereof, bearing interest at the rate of not exceeding 3 
per centum per annum, payable quarterly, such 
bonds to be payable at the pleasure of the United States 
after one year from the date of their issue, and to be 
payable, principal and interest, in gold coin of the pres- 
ent standard value, and to be exempt from the pay- 
ment of all taxes or duties of the United States, as well 
as from taxation in any form by or under state, muni- 
cipal or local authority; and the gold coin received 
from the sale of said bonds shall first be covered into 
the general fund of the treasury and then exchanged, 
in the manner herein befoer provided, for an equal 
amount of the notes redeemed and held for exchange, 

NOTES EXCHANGED FOR GOLD. 

"The secretary of the treasury may, in his discre- 
tion, use said notes in exchange for gold, or to purchase 
or redeem any bonds of the United States, or for any 
other lawful purpose the public interests may require, 
except that they shall not be used to meet any defi- 
ciencies in the current, revenues. That United States 
notes when redeemed in accordance with the provisions 
of this section shall not be reissued, but shall be held in 
the reserve fund until exchanged for gold, as herein 
provided; and the gold coin and bullion in the reserve 
fund, together with the redeemed notes held for use as 
provided in this section, shall at no time exceed the 
maximum sum of $150,000,000. 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



SILVER DOLLAR NOT AFFECTED. 

"Sec 3. That nothing contained in this act shall 
be construed to affect the legal tender quality as now 
provided by law of the silver dollar or any other money 
coined or issued by the United States." 

Section 4 provides for the keeping of the separate 
funds in the treasury department, the division of issue 
and the division of redemption being distinctly main- 
tained, and no money from either being used for any 
purpose other than that for which it is intended. Sec- 
tion 5 is as follows: 

"That it shall be the duty of the secretary of the 
treasury as fast as standard silver dollars are coined 
under the provisions of the acts of July 14, 1890, and 
June 13, 1898, from bullion purchased under the acts of 
July 14, 1890, to retire and cancel an equal amount of 
treasury notes whenever received into the treasury, 
either by exchange in accordance with the provisions 
of this act or in the ordinary course of business, and 
upon the cancellation of treasury notes silver certifi- 
cates shall be issued against the silver dollars so coined. 

DEPOSITS OF GOLD COIN. 

"Sec. 6. That the secretary of the treasury is 
hereby authorized and directed to receive deposits of 
gold coin with the treasurer or any assistant treasurer 
of the United States in sums of not less than $20, and 
to issue gold certificates therefore in denominations of 
not less than $20, and the coin so deposited shall be 
retained in the treasury and held for the payment of 
such certificates on demand, and used for no other pur- 
pose. 



6. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

"Such certificates shall be receivable for customs, 
taxes and all public dues, and when received may 
be reissued, and when held by any national bank- 
ing association may be counted as a part of its 
lawful reserve; provided, that whenever and so long as 
the gold coin held in the reserve fund in the treasury 
for the redemption of United States notes and treasury 
notes shall fall and remain below $100,000 000 the 
authority to issue certificates as herein provided shall 
be suspended; and provided further, that whenever 
and so long as the aggregate amount of United States 
notes and silver certificates in the general fund of the 
treasury shall exceed $60,000 the secretary of the treas- 
ury may, in his discretion suspend the issue of the cer- 
tificates herein provided for; and provided further, that 
of the amount of such outstanding certificates one- 
fourth at least shall be in denominations of $50 or less; 
and provided further that the secretary of the treasury 
may in his discretion, issue such certificates in denom- 
inations of $10,000, payable to order. And section 
5193 of the revised statutes of the United States is 
hereby repealed. 

LIMITS OF SILVER CERTIFICATES. 

"Sec. 7. That hereafter silver certificates shall be 
issued only of denominations of $10 and under, except 
that not exceeding in the aggregate 10 per centum of 
the total volume of said certificates, in the discretion 
of the secretary of the treasury, may be issued in de- 
nominations of $20, $50 and $100; and silver certificates 
of higher denomination than $10; except as herein 
provided, shall whenever received at the treasury or 
redeemed be retired and canceled and certificates of 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



denominations of $io or less shall be substituted there- 
for, and after such substitution, in whole or in part, a 
like volume of United States notes of less denomina- 
tion than $io shall from time to time be retired and 
canceled, and notes of denominations of $io and up- 
ward shall be reissued in substitution therefor, with 
like qualities and restrictions as those retired and 
canceled. 

That Section 5138 of the revised statutes is hereby 
amended so as to read as follows: 

" *No association shall be organized with a 
less capital than $ioo,coo, except that banks with a 
capital of not less than $50,000 may, with the approval 
of the secretary of the treasury, be organized in any 
place, the population of which does not exceed 6,coo 
inhabitants, and except that banks with a capital of not 
less than $25,000 may, with the sanction of the secre- 
tary of the treasury, be organized in any place, the 
population of which does not exceed 3,000 inhabitants. 
No association shall be organized in a city, the popu- 
lation of which exceeds 50,000 persons with a capital of 
less than $200,000.' 

RECEIVING OUTSTANDING BONDS, 

Sec. II. That the secretary of the treasury is 
hereby authorized to receive at the treasury any of 
the outstanding bonds of the United States^ bearing 
interest at 5 per centum per annum, payable Feb. i, 
1904, and any bonds of the United States bearing in- 
terest at 4 per centum per annum, payable July i, 1907, 
and any bonds of the United States bearing interest 
at 3 per centum per annum, payable Aug. i, 1908, and 
to issue in exchange therefor an equal amount of 



8. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

coupon or registered bonds of the United States in 
such form as he may prescribe in denominations of $50 
or any multiple thereof, bearing interest at the rate of 
2 per centum per annum^ payable quarterly, 

"Such bonds are to be payable at the pleasure of 
the United States after thirty years from the date of 
their issue, and said bonds are to be payable, principal 
and interest, in gold coin of the present standard value 
and to be exempt from the payment of all taxes or 
duties of the United States, as well as from taxation in 
any form by or under state, municipal or local author- 
ity ; provided, that such outstanding bonds may be re- 
ceived in exchange at a valuation not greater than 
their present worth to yield an income oi 2% per cen- 
um per annum; and in consideration of the reduction 
of interest effected the secretary of the treasury is 
authorized to pay to the holders of the outstanding 
bonds surrendered for exchange, out of any money in 
the treasury not otherwise appropriated, a sum not 
greater than the difference between their present 
worth, computed as aforesaid, and their par value, and 
the payments to be made hereunder shall be held to 
the payments on account of the sinking fund created 
by section 3694 of the revised statutes; and, provided 
further, that the 2 per centum bonds to be issued 
under the provisions of this act shall be issued at not 
less than par, and they shall be numbered consecutive- 
ly in the order of their issue, and when payment is 
made the last numbers issued shall be first paid, and 
this order shall be followed until all the bonds are paid 
and whenever any of the outstanding bonds are called 
for payment interest thereon shall cease three months 



irsuRY vs. CASii a:nd christ. " ^, 

after such call; and there is thereby appropriated out 
of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropri- 
ated, to effect the exchanges of bonds provided for in 
this act, a sum not exceeding one-fifteenth of ~i per 
centum of the face value of said bonds, to pay the^ex- 
pense of preparing and issuing the same and other 
expenses incident thereto. 

MONEY FOR NATIONAL BANKS. 

Sec. 12. That upon th€ deposit with the treasurer 
of the United States, by any national batiking associa- 
tion, of any bonds of the United States in the manner 
provided by existing law, such association shall be en- 
titled to receive from the comptroller of the currency 
circulation notes in blank, registered and countersign- 
ed as provided by law, equal in amount to the par 
value of the bonds so deposited. 

"Any national banking association nbW having 
bonds on deposit for the security of circulating notes, 
Sand upon which an amount of circulating notes has 
been issued less than the par value of the bonds, shall 
be entitled, upon due application to the comptroller of 
the currency to receive additional circulating notes in 
blank to an amount which will increase the circulating 
notes held by such association to the par value of the 
bonds deposited, such additional notes to be held and 
treated in the same way as circulating notes of national 
banking associations heretofore issued, and subject to 
all the provisions of law affecting such notes: Provided 
that nothing herein contained shall be construed to 
modify or repeal the provisions of section 5167 of the 
revised statutes of the United States, authorizing the 
comptroller of the currency to require additional de- 



30. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



posits of bonds or of lawful money in case the market 
value of the bonds held to secure the circulating notes 
shall fall below the par value of the circulating notes 
outstanding for which such bonds may be deposited as 
security; and provided further, that the circulating 
notes furnished to national banking associations under 
the provisions of this act shall be of the denominations 
prescribed by law, except that no national banking as- 
sociation shall, aftei" the passage of this act, be entitled 
to receive from the comptroller of the currency, or to 
issue or reissue or place in circulation more than one- 
hird in amount of its circulating notes of the denomin- 
ation of $5; and provided further that the total amount 
if such notes issued to any such association may equal 
at any time, but shall not exceed the amount at such 
time of its capital stock actually paid in ; and provided 
further, that under regulations to be prescribed by the 
secretary of the treasury any national banking associa- 
tion may substitute the 2 per centum bonds issued 
under the provisions of this act for any of the bonds 
deposited with the treasurer to secure circulation or to 
secure deposits of public money; and so much of an 
act entitled *An act to enable national banking associa- 
tions to extend their corporate existence, and for other 
purposes/ approved July 12, 1882, as prohibits any 
national bank which makes any deposit of lawful 
money in order to withdraw its circulating notes from 
receiving any increase of its circulation for the period 
of six months from the time it made such deposit of 
lawful money for the purpose aforesaid, is hereby re- 
pealed, and all other acts or parts of acts inconsistent 
with the provisions of this section|are hereby repealed. 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST'. II. 

Could the grold trust have accomplished a greater 
victory for private credit than has been accomplished 
by the majority of this present congress in passing this 
financial bill, more faithful servants to the gold trust 
could not have been found. Certainly the lords of 
usury will say to them, as did the nobleman spoken 
of in the parable of Jesus, where he said, well done, 
thou good and faithful servant to your masters of the 
great credit system. You shall be promoted for reap- 
ing whit others have sown and taking what others h've 
laid down. For you have decreed for the American 
people to pay three times as much gold as they have 
in circulation. We will help you to rule and reign over 
them and as the lord of usury said of old, anvone who 
refuses to practice usury let him be slain. So say we, 
all who refuse to practice the private credit s\ stems we 
will help you to destroy, for you have highly favored 
us by making gold the standard of value and retiring 
treasury and United States notes to the amount of four 
hundred million dollars, that drew no interest and is- 
suing 3 per cent, gold bonds that can not be paid in 
any other kind of money except gold coin which will 
give us the lords of usury $12,000,000 per annum fcr 
interest in gold. 

Then you have decreed for the government to pay 
us in gold the funded loans, which are due 1904 and 
1907 and 1908, which amounts to $676,018,300, the 
funded loans drawing 2 percent, interest per annum 
which you have agreed to extend 30 years will give us 
$405,640,980 interes t This interest and principal 
added to the 400,000,000, to redeem the legal tender 
notes, will amount to $1,481,629,280 and we know if 



1 2. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

vou stay in power, we will get interest in gold for 
thirty years on the 400,000,000, which was used for the 
rc^demption of legal tender notes. This being added 
to the principal would amount to $625,296,018, which 
will make us a contract for $1,917,616,516 in gold, this 
not including the funded loan of IQ25, which amounts 
to $162,315,400 principal, which draws 4 per cent, in- 
terest and will double the amount of principal in 
twenty-five years, which will amount to $324 730,800. 

There is yet the ten twenties, which amount; to 
$198,678,728 at 3 percent annual interest, which was 
contracted June 13, 1898, the interest amounting 
at final maturing to $101,886,498, the total amount 
being $2,542,914,578 in gola, which by your decree and 
custom will give us, the lords of usury, and this will 
require $60,000,000 eich year, for the next thirty years 
in addition to the amount now in circulation, which is 
$734716,728. Of course the minority of this congress 
objects to our lordship and say we are an austere man 
and hard masters, and accuse us of reaping all the 
American people have sown. 

Bjt did not the minority object to the lordship 
of our father of u ury, of old? The hard master 
spoken of in the scripture, but what answer made our 
Father to them? Did he not say that unto every one 
which hath, shall be given, and to him that hath not 
even that he hath shall be taken away from him? 
And did not our father of usury say to those who stood 
by, that they should take from such as had one pound, 
and give to him that had ten? Christ did not claim 
this usury kingdom but simply explained to the 
people what such a kingdom was like. We find by 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 1 3. 

reading carefully the history of the lords of usury of 
old, that their success depended upon them getting 
two to one willing to take from him that had not, and 
give to him that had abundance. It was also essential 
to have the help of them that stood by, to carry out the 
nobleman's cecree. So it yet remains to be seen what 
the 75,000,000 of American people that are standing by 
will do. Whether they will ref ase to enforce the decrees 
of the gold trust or continue slaves to this hard master. 

And in addition to the special fdvor conferred on the 
great gold trust, the maj ^rity of this present congress 
has turned the issuing of the currency over to the nation- 
al banks according to the statement of the comptroller 
of the currency, their Issue of bank notes amounting 
to $242,952,701. He further states their loans amount to 
$2,496,751,251. S 3 you can see the national banks are 
drawing interest on $io for every one issued them by 
the government. Yet this is not all, the government 
has been paying them four and five percent per annum 
on the government bonds deposited to secure the re- 
derAption of issue, but since the bill passed, March 14, 
IQOO. wi I pay them two per cent per annum, in gold 
com. Can the American people depend on the national 
banks for sufficient currency for a cash basis? Let us 
look at their past history. In the month of November, 
1899, the treasurer of the United States makes a state- 
ment which I will give: 

Washington, D. C, Nov. 19 — In his annual report 
Ellis H. Roberts, treasurer of the United States, will 
discuss in an able and interesting manner the urgent 
calls for more money and currency of small denomina- 



14. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

tions that have been addressed to the treasury more 
frequently than ever during the last year. 

"These demands could not be complied with," he 
says, "because of statutory limitations. The treasury 
in this as in previous seasons has striven to the utmost 
to meet the demands for currency for moving the 
crops and for general business. It has exhausted all 
it resources and these ought not to be increased by 
more government issues. The national banks must 
solve the problem of adding to the volume of currency. 
Thus far the concentration of opinion in favor of any 
radical change in our baiiking system has not been of 
such force to compel legislation. The question 
presses with a growing force and invites to serious con- 
sideration. 

"No criticism of the officers of these institutions 
is intended," says Mr. Roberts. "The friction has 
been due to casting a burden on the treasury 
which does not belong there. The natural avenue of 
relief is through the national banks. The existing 
national banks of the United States have the right 
under their charters to add $345,020,413 to their cir- 
culation. Thus the need of small currency is not met. 
If a few states and two great cities are taken for illus- 
tration, the national banks were entitled to add to their 
outstanding notes these vast sums: New York state, 
$41,702,200; Illinois, $9,TQ2,68o; Ohio, $23690.020; 
Pennsylvania, $37,682,130; New York City, $29,181,680; 
Chicago, $15,925,700. The aggregate capital stock of 
these banks was $209,357,413, and circulation was $81,- 

164.903- 
"In Chicago, as a great center of trade and finance, 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 1 5. 

the requirement for currency is on the broadest scale; 
yet the national banks of that city have a right under 
their charters to put out $15,925,700 additional circula- 
tion. For itself and its correspondents. New York has 
very often sought for more paper, while its national 
banks have the legal power to add $29,181,680 to their 
circulation at once. The assertion is loud and persistent 
that the western states are suffering by reason of the 
lack of currency. At the same time in these states, in- 
cluding the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, 
Wyoming, Colorado, and the territories of New Mex- 
ico, Oklahoma and the Indian territory, the national 
banks could under the law issue additional notes to the 
amount of $18,285,245." 

' The majority of this congress having these plain 
faces before them, they have decreed that the Ameri- 
can people shall pay the gold trust three times as 
much gold as they have in circulation to pay it with. 
And have decided that national banks shall dictate, in- 
stead of congress, the amount of currency the Ameri- 
can people shall have. The following figures give the 
total amount and kind of money we have in circulation 
minus United States and treasury notes that are to be 
redeemed in gold coin. In gold coin we have in circu- 
lation, $702,063,459; in gold certificates, $32,656,269; 
silver coin, $63,381,751; silver certificates, $401,869,343; 
subsidary silver, $70,675 ;692; currency certificates, 
$20,855,000; national banknotes, $242,952,701. 

Some of my readers may be flattering themselves 
that, since they do not borrow money on a note of 
hand, they are paying no interest. Let me undeceive 
you. This is an agricultural country. The farmer 
sells his wheat to the dealer and gets his money, or 
possibly only bank notes, but in either case the deal- 



1 6. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

er's note is in bank for it, and he must cut the price lo 
per cent., or he will soon go out of business. The 
miller buys it and he must cut lo per cent,; the baker 
buys and makes it into the five cent loaf which is made 
small enough to pay the interest all the way round. 
And so at last the consumer pays the interest or usury. 
It is just the same with all the other products, till one- 
half the price of the 5 cent calico is usury; one-half the 
the coj:t of the farm machinery and railroad machinery 
the rolling stock and even a part of the road bed is in- 
terest. The consumer in the end pays the whole. All 
classes and conditions of society are subject to its ra- 
pacious demands. 

'Usury levies tribute upon the infant in the cradle 
and never, throughout the life of this human being, 
does it cease to draw tribute from it each instant of 
time, and when in old ag-^, it siclsens unto death, ihis 
monster claims a portion of the medicine used to a'ldy 
the pangs of dissolution. This monster demon of 
Usury constantly gathers of labor each moment of time 
from EVERYTHING that has value. 

V^hile you in response to the demmds of tired na- 
ture, seek rest when night comes, you cease from labor 
one day in seven, this unholy, worse than pagan, di- 
viding and concentrating comunist — Usury — goes on 
and on, day and night, in fair weather and in foul, in 
summer and winter, week-day and Sunday, in prosper- 
ity and adversity, in health and in sickness, unceasing- 
Iv gathering the increment of labor. The father digs 
and delves and dies, but his earnings forever flow into 
the usurer's coffers. The mother toils and totters to 
the tomb in her efforts to sive her child from the 
usurer's grasp. The usurer cares naught for the 
troubles of others; their distress cannot move him; 
their anguish cannot touch him, He takes delight in 
those practices that are an abhorence to upright men. 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 1 7. 

CHAPTER II. 

Experience has proven that all the nations of the 
earth can't pay one per cent, upon all the monetized 
money in existence; viz: gold and silver, without it ab- 
sorbing all the property of the earth. 

Can it be that the law of custom, legalizing usury, 
has been practiced so long it has corrupted the morals 
of those at the head of national affairs in such a man- 
ner that they have imbibed the credit system of slavery 
to so great an extent it has so blinded their minds that 
they under-rate its masterly power to subjugate and 
force wage earners to accept slavery wages ? And to 
dispossess all property owners, merchants and trades- 
men of limited capital and turn them out of business 
and house and home to suffer, wandering and tramping 
about as gypsies? 

And can it be possible that the many thousand 
ministers of the various sects have overlooked the 
.commandments that God gave Moses in regard to us- 
ury? Also forbidding Isreal as a nation to borrow of 
other nations, for they all practiced usury at that time? 
And have they forgot reading that God strictly forbid 
them taking usury of one another? You may have not 
thought it worth while noticing, the laws given of God 
to man, that nations might be free men and free holders. 

Has not emperors, kings, presidents, governors, 
members of parliament, senators arid men at the head 
of governments came to your assemblies and listened 
to what you had to say of that which is right for nations 
to practice and what was not right? 

Did you tell them plainly of the ruin that would 



1 8. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

follow if the credit system was practiced for usury? 
Yon probably thought it was unnecessary, but by 
neglecting to expose this great evil, it has become the 
master of nations. Has the lords of the money credit 
system blinded your eyes by their liberal contributions 
so that you and your whole denomination failed to see 
the credit ditch of slavery which the nations that re- 
fuse to obey God have fallen into, whose fetters can't 
be broken while the nations of the world legalize the 
usury system of which Joseph of Egypt, the Hebrew, 
was the first ruler who introduced national slavery and 
credit system, which has since been practiced by all 
nations except some of the Hebrew nations. 

Joseph, in order to bind the credit system upon the 
people, appreciated the value of Egyptian money, de- 
preciated the value of corn and provisions, in so much 
he was able to buy all the seven years of plenty, that 
when the famine came he held a corner on provisions 
which he sold at exorbitant prices. In this manner he 
soon had the whole nation for his slaves and all their 
property in the hands of private owners. They being 
the king and the lords and the priests of Egypt. 

Now, so much as the Hebrew race furnishes us 
with the earliest history of national slavery and the 
first nation that gave us a leader and ^ law giver that 
forbid national slavery and gave a law for the protec- 
tion of life, labor and property and made provisions for 
the poor, that they could not be robbed of the ir homes, 
and forbid the sale of land for private manipulation, 
and further, so much as from the Hebrew race came 
Jesus, the highest type of godliness ever manifested in 
the form of man, as a teacher in righteousness and of 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. IQ. 

the way of salvation of all mankind and notions from 
sin and slavery. We will call to mind what has been the 
history of some nations under the curse of credit slav- 
ery from the introduction of national slavery in Egypt 
until the present lime. In this I will try and be as 
brief as possible that we may come direct to our pres- 
ent condition, which only differs from the history of 
Egypt in name as far as bondage is concerned. 

In Egypt it was credit and priest craft slavery. In 
all our nations now it is credit and creed craft slavery. 
Who has caused this state of affairs ? The answer is, 
we have got more credit than cash and more creeds 
than Christ. The reason I give for saying we have 
more credit than cash, I shall attempt to prove that 
the credit system in America alone is no less than 
twenty billion of dollars credit^ that the laboring classes 
have to pay of principle, and in addition they have to 
pay twelve hundred millions of dollars usury an- 
nually, and not allowed more than one billion five 
hundred million to pay it with of monetized cash. You 
must remember all trusts or credit systems that are in- 
corporated are expected to pay at least five per cent, 
capital stock and a big salary to its chief officer and a 
low price to the remainder of its common laborers, 
after a dividend is declared in profits, all of which they 
collect cash off of their patrons. 

Now, my reason for saying we have more creed 
craft than Christ is, we have several hundred creeds 
and only one Christ and many creeds will no more 
carry one's soul to Christ than a lot of debts and credits 
will furnish a nation a system of cash. 

Some one will probably say that you are opposed 



20. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

to capital and wanting to deepen the wound that already 
exists between capital and labor. While that statement 
is often made it certainly is a mistake. Labor and true 
national capital are good friends and labor would be 
glad if our nation would increase its capital stock in 
legal tender money capital sufficient to go to a cash 
basis. But this, private incorporated credit systems 
oppose, and the real battle is between the private in- 
corporated credit systems of usury of the whole world 
and the entire laboring and producing class and all 
nations. 

Now, as much as Joseph was the first ruler that 
practiced national slavery, it is necessary to use Bible 
history and we will commence with his history at the 
time he was sold as a slave. 

While a child he was quite a favorite with his 
father. When quite young he dreamed two dreams, 
which he told his brethern, which made them jealous 
and caused them to hate him in so much they watched 
their chance when he was away from his father and 
sold him for twenty pieces of silver, to some slave 
merchants, who sold him again as a slave in Egypt. 
Afterward his master's mistress conspired against him 
and caused him to be put in prison for two years. It 
seems this part of Joseph's liife has so touched the sym- 
pathy of all generations that they have failed to see 
the great evil of the rest of his life and millions of par- 
ents have named one of their sons Joseph. Now, while 
he was in prison some of the prisoners dreamed a 
dream which he interpretated and his interpretations 
proved to be true and when the prisoner who had 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 21. 

dreamed the dream was liberated he was restored to 
the stewardship by Pharaoh. 

Atter which Phoraoh dreamed a dream and found 
none of his wise men could interpret it. Then the 
Stewart told him of Joseph's interpretation of his dream 
and Pharaoh then sent for Joseph and told him what 
he saw in the two dreams while standing by the river. 
And behold, there came up out of the river seven well- 
favored cattle and fat-fleshed, and they fed in a mea- 
dow, and behold, seven other cattle came up after them 
out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and stood 
by the other cattle upon the brink of the river; and 
the ill-favored and lean-fleshed cattle did eat the seven 
well-favored and fat-fleshed cattle. And when they 
had eaten them, it could not be known, that they had 
eaten them, but they were still ill-favored. Then again I 
dreamed, and behold, seven ears came up on one stalk, 
full and good And behold, seven ears withered, thin 
and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. 

And the seven thin ears devoured the seven good 
ears. And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, the dream is one 
in which God has shown Paraoh what he is about to do. 
Behold, there came seven years of great plenty 
throughout all the land of Egypt. And there shall arise 
after them, seven years of famine and all the plenty 
shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine 
shall consume the land. And the plenty shall not be 
known in the land by reason of the famine following, 
for it shall be grevious. Now, therefore, let Pharaoh 
look out a man discreet and wise and set him over the 
land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this and let him ap- 
point officers over the land and let them gather all the 



22. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

food of those good years that come and lay up corn 
under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in 
the cities and that food shall be for store to the land 
against the seven years of famine which shall be in 
the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish through 
the famine. 

And Pharaoh said, as much as God hath shewed 
thee all this, there is none so wise and discreet as 
thou art. Thou shalt be over my bouse and according 
unto thy word shall all my people be ruled. Only on 
the throne bhall I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh 
said unto Joseph, see, I have set thee over all the land 
of Egypt, and Pharaoh took off the ring from his hand 
and put it upon Joseph's hand and arrayed him in vest- 
ures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. 
And he made him ride in the second chariot which he 
had. And they cried before him, bow the knee, and he 
made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Par- 
aoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh and without thee 
shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of 
Egypt. 

And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought 
forth by hand-fulls, and Joseph gathered up all the 
food of the seven years which were in the land of 
Egypt and laid up the food in the cities. The food of 
the field which was around about every city laid he up 
in th,3 same. And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of 
the sea — very much— until he left off numbering, for it 
was without number. Now, after the seven good 
years had expired, there was no bread in all the land, 
for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt 
and all the land Canaan fainted by reason of the fam- 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 2$, 

ine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was 
found in the land of E^gypt and in the land of Canaan 
for the corn which they bought. And Joseph brought 
the money into Pharaoh's house and when money 
failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan 
all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said give us 
bread for why should we die in thy presence, for 
the money faileth? 

And Joseph said, give your cattle and I will give 
you bread, if money fail. And they brought their 
cattle unto Joseph and Joseph gave them bread in ex- 
change for horses and for flocks and for cattle of the 
herds and for the asses and he fed them with bread for 
ail that year. When that year was ended they came 
unto him the third year and said unto him, we will not 
hide it from my Lord how that our money is spent, my 
Lord also hath our herds of cattle, there is naught left 
in the sight of my Lord but our bodies and our lands. 
Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and 
our land? Buy us and our land for bread and we and 
our land will be servants unto Pharaoh and give us 
seed that we may live and not die. That the land may 
not be desolate. 

And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharoah 
for the Egyptians sold ever man his field because fam- 
ine prevailed over them so the land became Pharaoh's. 
And as for the people, Joseph removed them to cities 
from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other 
end thereof. Only the land of the priests took he 
not, for the priests had a portion assured them 
of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharoah 
gave them. Wherefore they sold not their lands. 



24- USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

Then Joseph said unto the people, behold I bought you 
this day and your land for Pharaoh. Lo! here is seed 
and ye shall sow the land and it shall come to pass in 
the increase, that ye sh^ll give the fifth part to Phar- 
oah. And Joseph made it a law over the land of 
E^vpt, unto this day that Pharaoh should have the 
fifth part except the land of the priests, only which be- 
came not Pharaoh's. 

Now history don't state the amount Joseph paid for 
the corn and food, yet it must have been purchased at 
very low prices, for history doesn't speak of Joseph 
being troubled with any scarcity of money when he 
purchased the grain, for th's he must h ive done, for the 
scripture plainly states that the land before the famine 
was owned by the masses. That every man had a 
field and farther states they were ftee men and owned 
horses, cattle, flocks and asses. From history it seems 
when the famine first bfgan they must have had at 
least twice as much in money as they possessed in 
stock. This must have been all the money paid them 
by Joseph during the seven years of plenty, for it 
stated Joseph fed them one year for their stock and 
the othen- four years for their bodies for slaves and 
their land as they said to serve as a slave forever. 

Has history, either profane or christian, ever found 
a ruler more covetous and unmerciful than was Joseph 
to those helpless people, even those whose hands had 
sowed, planted and tended, reaped, threshed and 
gathered in store that which God had caused to grow 
that all might be fed. 

Joseph had been given full authority and he ad- 
vised Pharoah to appoint a wise and discreet man 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 25. 

to look after the interests of the people that they 
might be cared for during the seven years of plenty 
and lay up in store plenty that the land should not 
suffer. When the famine came, the covetous nature of 
Joseph proved to be as hard to satisfy as was the fam- 
ine. In the first place there was no reason why he 
should have charged such prices for grain that he got 
all the money of the people of Egypt and all the money 
of Canaan, his native land, and that too was of his 
father and brothers for what grain it took to keep them 
for only two years. He charged them as much for two 
ephohs of grain as he paid them for seven. 

He certainly was a chip off the old block. Yes, 
even more; he must have had some of the timber of 
the mother of the old block, or in other words, he had 
inherited the covetous nature of his father and the de- 
ceptive nature of his grand-mother. His father one 
time met Joseph's uncle, Esaw, when he was tired from 
hard labor in the field and faint with hunger, coming 
in from the field. Jacob had a morsel of meat and 
some hot pottage which Esaw asked him for. but young 
Jacob refused, but offered to sell the morsel, not for 
what it was worth, but demanded the enormous price 
of Esaw's birthright, the birthright being equal to all 
of their father's possessions. Now, Esaw was very faint 
and ne^r to die and to save his life he sold his birth- 
right. But Jacob was not satisfied with just his brother's 
birthright, which he had bought for much less than it 
was worth, but he and Joseph's grandmother, through 
false pretense and deception and lying, suceeded in 
stealing his Uncle Esaw's blessing, which crime g-^ve 
his father such a guilty conscience he fled from the face 



26. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

of his brother Esaw and went to the house of Joseph's 
great uncle and married two of his daughters, one of 
which was Joseph's mother and Joseph's father went 
into partnership with Joseph's grand-father in the cat- 
tle business. 

Jacob secretly discovered that by peeling hazel 
and poplar poles and placing them in the watering 
troughs would cause the offspring of the cattle to be 
ring streaked and striped and spotted in color. He 
then went to Joseph's grandfather, who had changed 
his wages ten times. Jacob proposed to take the ring 
streaked, striped, speckled and spotted cattle all out 
from among the catt)e and just leave such as was with- 
out white remain. Then from the offspring of those 
of solid dark colors he would take the speckled, spot- 
ted, streaked and striped for his portion, which Laban 
agreed to; which contract soon made Jacob rich and 
Laban poor. 

So we see Joseph's ancestors were covetous and 
desired to be lord over their brethern and to have them 
bow down to them. Even wanted nations to bow to 
them and people to serve them. This is brought out 
by Joseph's grandfather's prayer when asking God to 
bless Jacob. Joseph showed his father's love for cat- 
tle, when he had got every penny both Egypt and 
Canaan had in the first two years for just bread enough 
to keep them alive and the poor, hungry people still 
pleading for bread, yet trying to hide the fact from 
Joseph that their money had failed. But Joseph covet- 
ed their cattle and said, if your money has failed Iwill 
feed you one more year for your horses, and your cat- 
tle and your flocks and your asses. He seemed to be 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 27. 

proud of the power instead of being ashamed to take 
from all the families the last family horse and their 
last mule and their last sheep and their last cow. 

Imagine the children petting their family horse for 
the last time, to see them led away to be traded for 
bread, which their hands had gathered, that God had 
caused to grow on their own. field, which they had been 
forced to sell so cheap when Joseph bought it when 
he made money so high. 

But starvation forced the father to lead away the 
horses though the whole family wept. He dare not 
raise hand or foot contrary to Joseph's demands. Then 
when the children found out that their lambs which 
they had played with must all be taken to Joseph, then 
they went to their flocks to caress their lambs for the 
last time, never again to see them play. They too 
would have to be taken to satisfy Joseph's covetous 
nature. Then the children go with their mother the 
last time to milk their own cows, and they too are 
driven away at Joseph's demand to buy bread from 
that covetous governor who cheated them out of the 
food they had raised on their own field. But the worst 
trial for the parents is yet to come. The children had 
always been used to plenty of milk and for the mother 
to hear them cry for what they have been cheated out 
of by Hebrew covetousness. No one but a mother 
who has heard their own children cry for milk can 
really know how the Egyptian mothers must have felt 
under such circumstances. 

But the owners of fields soon began to see that 
their governor was a hard master and cared nothing 
for their welfare, but was highly, elated over getting all 



28. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

their money and personal property and to see them so 
intimedated and humiliated; for that was just what 
Joseph was glad to see, for his fine apparel and jewelry 
and governorship seems to have made him very over- 
bearing, proud and unmerciful to the helpless, for he 
had now accomplished the two first steps that he deem- 
ed necessary to rob all property owners of ever again 
being able to till their fields, for he knew he had all 
their money, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and asses, and 
he knew that without them their land was worthless 
to them. This, the most prosperous free holders must 
have tried to hide from Joseph as long as possible. 
But Joseph soon cut off their last hope of success in 
this, for at the end of one year from the time they gave 
up all personal property Joseph demanded more money 
and stock and refused to farther give them food, and 
gave them their choice, either to comply with his de- 
mands or die. 

It seems the people starved as long as possible, 
trying to hide it from Joseph and hoping he would 
finally have some mercy when they began to die right 
in his presence. Joseph was as firm and unmerciful as 
ever and all he would say was, give me more money or 
stock. Finally the people were persuaded by some 
one, I don't know who, to confess their helpless situa- 
tion. It must have been some of Joseph's agents. It 
might have been the priests, as they were especially 
favored of Joseph. At last the people finally confessed 
to Joseph that they had given him all their money and 
everything they had on earth but their bodies and their 
lands, and rather than die with starvation they sold 
him their bodies for slaves and their land for bread. 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 29» 

One would have supposed that when they had 
gave Joseph all they had and their bodies for slavery, 
he, as a human being, would have been satisfied, but 
he was so pleased to know that there was not left one 
property owner of the thousands of prosperous free 
holders in the once prosperous land of Egypt except 
Pharaoh and himself and those Egyptian priests. His 
own brothers were only sojourners in the land without 
money, for he had took what they had and carried it 
into Pharaoh's house. His actions were such his own 
brothers feared him as a monster of death and for fear 
of him when they would come in his presence they 
would fall on their faces.but to cover up his vile covetous 
nature he spared their live?. But he had not entirely 
gratified his cruel nature toward the free holders of 
Egypt, yet who he had robbed of all they had. 

He seemed determined to crush out of their lives 
all hope of being free men. He sent his officers and 
compelled the held owners in north Egypt to be 
taken to cities in the extreme south border of the land 
and the field owners in the south he moved to cities in 
the extreme north, and those of the west he moved 
east and those in the east he moved to the extreme 
west, Gen. 47. Then Joseph was finally satisfied when 
heJiad taken the last comfort from the people and 
torn them away from their homes. Severed from 
every comfort, among strangers, having no hope ex- 
cept eternal slavery. Was this sent upon the people 
on account of God's displeasure with them, or that 
God had gave life and homes and property to so many 
people and had sent a famine on them in order to 



30. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

make them slaves, and have them from that time oh 
look to some man for a living instead of God. 

It seems not, for God warned the king, the head 
of the nation, of the coming famine in a plain manner 
and a convincing way. And then through mercy to 
Joseph he gave him the interpretation and understand- 
ing of just what God would do. This wisdom that God 
gave Joseph gave him especial favor with the king and 
raised him from the prison to the Governorship of all 
Egypt. Then God sent enough grain and food in the 
next seven years to feed all, both man and beast for 
the next seven years of the famine. Pharaoh and 
Joseph seeing an opportunity to rob the people, yielded 
to the temptation and sowed the seed of who esale 
slavery, that made the people of both these nations 
slaves, which soon brought Egypt to naught. 

And so far we have no account of God ever visiting 
Joseph in a dream after he had used the wisdom God 
had given him for robbery. But what he sowed his 
offspring had to reap. The law he made in Egypt 
finally made slaves of all Isreal, Joseph's children in- 
cluded. And he cultivated the seed of covetousness and 
lordship which he inherited from his father and grand- 
mother to such an extent that it took such a deep root 
in the Hebrew race it has been a curse to them and all 
nations with whom they have had any dealings until 
this day. While from this race there is excep- 
tions to this rule, there having been some of the purest 
men of God history has ever known in whose veins 
flowed the Hebrew blood. Yet Joseph's governorship 
and the laws of national slavery which he made fasten- 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 3I. 

ed all Isreal in cruel bondage at hard labor in the iron 
furnaces of Egypt. 

Yet God was merciful to Joseph and allowed him 
to rule Egypt for eighty years and done all for the 
poor, vain, evil, covetous man that he vas able to 
receive, and called him away after he had run his race, 
that He might show to the world the fruits of what this 
vain man had done. Yet for four hundred and thirty 
years, during the time the Children of Isreal were in 
slavery, Joseph was the star of that dark time. The 
Hebrews reasoned in this way: In the first place 
Abraham had slaves. Isaac prayed to God that nat- 
ions and people should serve Jacob, and Joseph had 
been sold twice as a slave, which made a law of custom 
of which Joseph was as willing to practice upon others 
as they had been to practice on him. Which seemed 
to be as high an idea of justice as the Hebrews were 
able to practice. 

CHAPTER III. 

Yet the time came that the Egyptians made the 
labor of the Hebrews so hard and their burdens so 
great that God gave a child borned of the tribe of 
Levi, the spirit of liberty. 

He was raised and educated by the king's daugh- 
ter, but when he became of age he refused to be called 
the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to 
suffer affliction with his own people than to enjoy the 
pleasure of sin for a season as Joseph did. One day 
he saw one of the Egyptians abusing a Hebrew and he 
slew him, for which he had to leave the country. For 
forty years he resided in Midia among his relatives, 



32. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

they beingf descendants of Abraham by his wife, Ketura. 
Moses found them quite different from his own people 
who had been in bondage so long, both the scriptures 
and profane history declaring the Midianites to have 
been a liberty loving people 

God speaking of this nation by the prophet Isiah 
calls them his santified ones, and declared there was 
men among them that regarded neither silver nor 
gold. And in this nation was supposed to be the home 
of Job. And from this nation came King Darius, the 
liberator of Israel from the Chaldean's administration 
and from Media came the wise men of the east who 
saw the star when Christ was born. So among this 
people lived Moses forty years, until God called and 
sent him back to Egvpt to lead his own people out of 
slavery of which the scripture gives a full history. 
Moses was successful by the help of God in getting all 
the children of Israel out of Egypt without either 
money or sword, but he obeyed the word of God and 
prayed for the liberty of all his people. Yet Moses 
knew not what to pray for neither knew he how to 
pray only as God directed him. 

In the first place he was directed to go direct to 
the Children of Isreal amd tell them he was sent to 
them by the God of their fathers. And when they 
aisked him what was the name of the God he rep- 
resented he answered them, I Am is His name, the 
Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the 
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me unto 
you, and all the children believed. Then he went to 
Pharaoh and said unto him, the Lord God of the 
Hebrews has met with us and now let us go, we be- 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. .33 

seech thee, three days journey into the wilderness that 
we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. And in what- 
ever God directed Moses or Aaron to do, that they 
done, and what they were directed to say, that they 
said. 

Now the Bible history is so familiar to every one 
of the miracles of God in helping the children to es- 
cape from the bondage that they had so long suffered 
from, and of God overthrowing the host of Egyptians 
that followed them. 

Now, when they were safe from the masters who 
had made them serve with rigor Moses told them of the 
exceeding good land to which God was sending them, 
which he had promised their fathers, but had gave the 
Amorites of that land four hundred years to fulfill all 
the time they were to possess that country in iniquity. 
But God was now with the children of Israel in a cloud 
by day and a pillar of fire by night. He gave them 
daily bread to eat and good water to drink. And the 
angel of God's presence was ever ready to guide them 
onward to a free country. Now, as the people had per- 
fect rest from their masters and enemies God called 
Moses to himself in the mount and gave him nat'onal and 
local and individual laws, such as would insure equal 
rights to all the people and protection to both life and 
property and protection for the poor. 

Moses being absent from the people, they 
soon became discouraged, for they had been slaves so 
long and associated with a nation who had dispossessed 
all its property owners and made them slaves, whom 
they had been associated with for four hundred years, 
with the exception of the priests who had always en- 



34. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

jo\ed special priveledges. Their priest craft seemed 
to have led the people to superstition and gave them 
more of a desire to worship idols and to be around the 
flesh pots and to stuff themselves on leaks and to be 
slaves, than to worship the true God and be free. 
Now, it proved that gold was their chain more than 
any other idol and they soon persuaded Aaron to make 
them a god out of gold in the form of a calf. A very 
popular form of a god among the Egyptian priests. 
This act of Aaron's greatly pleased the poor old intimi- 
dated, supersticious slaves, for they had been taught by 
the priests of Egypt to reverence the golden idol. Thus 
they were worshipping when Moses returned and broke 
up the dance and destroyed their idol, after which 
Moses gathered them together and read to them the 
law that he had received of God. Saying the land 
shall not be sold forever and in all the land of your 
possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. 
If a brother be poor and have to sell his land, when he 
gets able to redeem it, then let him count the years of 
the sale thereof and the over plus to the man to whom 
he sold it that he may redeem his possession, but if he 
be not able to redeem it to him then that which is sold 
shall remain in the hand of him which hath bought it 
until the year of jubilee, it shall go "out and he shall re- 
turn unto his possession, Levit. 26- 23 to 28. And if 
thy brother be worn and poor and fallen in decay with 
thee, then thou shalt relieve him, yea though he be a 
stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with thee. 

Take thou no usury of him or increase, but fear 
thy God that thy brother may live with thee. Thou 
shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 35- 

thy victuals for increase. Then he read to them the 
ten commandments and when they tried to look at 
Moses when he read, his face was shining and his 
words were more than they could bear, insomuch 
Moses had to put a veil over his face for the people 
were most all condemed for they were expecting to 
practice in the new land every sin as was the custom 
in Egypt, And such as expected to make a living in 
the promised land by loaning money to their own 
country men, were convicted and the one that was ex- 
pecting toloan victuals on increase was disappointed 
too. The speculators on provisions were greatly dis- 
couraged for they said, are we greater than our father 
Joseph, who made his fortune in increasing the price on 
provisions when he had it all cornered, and they wanted 
to go back to Egypt and from that time on was opposed 
to going any farther with a people that would support 
a law prohibiting gambling on victuals and drifted 
away with the wanderers and complainers and grumb- 
lers. Then there was another class expecting to deal 
in chattel slavery, that was greatly discouraged by the 
law of release ever seven years. Said they, such a law 
will break up the slave industry, which made Joseph 
famous in Egypt, which certainly was right for Joseph 
himself was sold twice and he told his brothers it all 
happened for their good. 

Now, such as had the slave spirit seemed to be 
entirely blind to liberty for all men and of course such 
made a great deal of trouble for Moses and were 
among the grumblers and refused to go up to the land 
of freedom. Then there was another class who ex- 
pected to make their fortunes out of real estate, but 



36. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

there was that law of Jubilee and another section in the 
law, saying, the land is the Lord's and shall not be sold. 
Now that was another law that gave the land grabbers 
to understand the land was for the good of all and not 
to be lorded over by man, but was for a permanent 
homestead for free people; so that put the land specu- 
lators to grumbling themselves to death, they having 
no desire to live where they could not rob their fellow 
men of their home. 

It seemed their life in bondage working upon their 
covetous natures inherited from their forefathers, had 
so corrupted most all of them they were deficient in 
honesty and moral courage. Yet God, to encourage 
them, had Moses to send twelve chosen men to spy out 
the land and report of what they had found. They 
were surprised at the richness of the land and its nat- 
ural resources, but ten out of twelve were afraid of the 
inhabitants of the land and brought back an evil report. 
But there were two of those spies that had another 
spirit and the moral courage to rejoice in the law that 
condemed every evil that had been practiced in Egypt, 
and were thankful to God for the angel of His pres- 
ence to guide them out of such a cursed land of slavery 
and was anxious to be a soldier under the captian of 
God's host. Their love was so strong for liberty that 
they now had nothing to fear that the poor old intimi- 
dated slaves suffered from. 

Yet it was hard for those two brave men to con- 
vince men that loved their evil habits better than the 
God of liberty. It seems that the children were teach- 
able, or more so than the older ones in which seemed to 
be victims of most every vice for when some heard the 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 37. 

law thou shalt not kill,they could no longer look at Moses 
for if they was to be deprived of killing some one they 
hated and would have to live in a land where they 
would not be allowed to kill a servant and it would be a 
disgrace to kill, it would be to much for them to have 
to bear and they said away with such a land and such 
laws. Let us return to Egypt where might is right. 
Then there was another class that could not look at 
Moses when he said, thou shalt not bear false witness 
against thy neighbor, for they were always a ready 
false witness for reward, and to think of going to a 
country where one would be in disgrace for lying and 
would be condemed publicly before the judges and 
even punished if found guilty. Just the thought was 
very offensive to them. Such, gathered together and 
complained to Moses and claimed with their lying 
tongues they were not afraid for themselves but were 
afraid their children would starve to death in a land 
where there were so many strange nations. 

But now the people of all Isreal are in their prom- 
ised land. They escaped from their masters and 
crossed the Red Sea without a ship and the river of 
Jordan without a bridge; without the use of money, 
without the sword, without coin bonds, without making 
a popular loan, and without a public debt, and without 
usury. And the people were a successful nation as 
long as they observed the law God gave them to gov- 
ern their nation, but when they got them a king like 
the Egyptians, Solomon led them back into adultery 
and idolatry ; yet he had all the twelve tribes as his 
subjects, from whose labor he accumilated great quan- 
tities of gold and built and dedicated a very costly 



38. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

house to the God of Isreal. And of the flocks and 
herds of his subjects he caused to be slain and offered 
great numbers of both sheep and cattle. In fact, he 
made the g^reatest public display of his royal worship 
of any of the kings of Israel. 

But he soon began to act as God said a man as a 
king would act when he got all the power, as is spoken 
of in Samuel 8-1 1 to 17. Wherefore, said the Lord, 
the king would take what he liked for his own self 
from that for which the people had labored and will 
take your fields and your vineyards and your olive-yards 
and he will take the tenth of your seeds and of your 
vineyards to give to his officers and to his servants. 

Now, the scriptures say that King Solomon's indi- 
vidual wealth was the greatest of all the kings of Israel 
and the people put up with his covetous and lustful 
way of living and his idolatrous habits. Yet he con- 
fesses himself that his efforts to gratify his lustful 
passions resulted in nothing but vanity and vexation of 
spirit. Also he had great possessions of great and 
small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before 
him. And he gathered to him silver and gold and the 
peculiar treasurers of kings and of his provinces; and 
he got him men singers and women singers and the 
delights of the sons of man of musical instruments and 
that of all sorts; and he was greater than any other in 
Jerusalem. 

Then Solomon looked on all his works and saw 
how vain he was. Then he began to see how near his 
time was at an end and the time was at hand that he 
could not longer reign in his glory. Said he, life was 
of him hated, for now he saw he could take nothing 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 39- 

with him, neither could he stay with his earthly glory, 
and would have to leave all his money and wealth for 
another man, and it seemed to be a question in his 
judgment whether it would be left to a wise man or a 
fool. Then went about this old man in despair, for he 
said, to leave all his wealth to one who had not labored 
for it, to him was vain and a great evil and he con- 
fesed that his heart had no rest at night for it is said 
he gave his heart to know wisdom. He must have 
known something of domestic affairs, but in this he 
seems to have learned to say but little, yet he claims 
his great wealth is a vexation of the spirit, 

He is not the only one who was tired of his un- 
godly life here on earth. When Solomon was dead 
the old men of the nation told his son that his father 
had made the yoke of bondage grevious to them and 
asked him if he would not make them lighter; and he 
said unto them, depart ye for three days and then come 
again, and they departed. And King Roehaboam con- 
sulted with the old men who stood before Solomon 
his father while he yet lived, and they advised him, 
saying, if thou will be a servant unto this people and 
will serve them and speak good words unto them, then 
they will be thy servants forever. But he forsook the 
council of the old men which they had given him, and 
he consulted the younger men who had grown up with 
him and which stood up before him, and said unto 
them: What council give ye that we may answer these 
people who have spoken to me, saying, make the yoke 
which thy father did put upon us lighter. 

And the young men that were grown up with him 
said, this shalt thou speak unto this people that speak 



40. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

unto thee, saying, thy father made our yoke heavy, 
but make thou it lighter unto us. Thus shalt thou say 
unto them, my little finger shall be thicker than my 
father's hand and whereas my father did load you with 
a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father hath 
chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with 
scorpions. So when the people came back the third 
day to hear what Rehaboam's answer was, they heard 
this reply spoken in a rough manner, after the manner 
of the young men's council. So Isreal saw there was 
no part left for them. 

Here we have one of the many object lessons of 
the cruelty of the wealthy to the poor, showing the 
fruits of Solomon's marrying into a nation whose god 
was an idol without mercy. This young king, whose 
mother was one of the "Ites" of the land, and her son 
made a great mistake when he took the advice of man 
instead of asking God to direct him. His father dream* 
ed he asked God to give him wisdom to go in and out 
before the people instead of God. So when he had 
become great in the eyes of men and loved so many 
women of other nations contrary to the command- 
ments of God, he had his reward. In this he done 
wrong and willingly, for God had told him if he went 
in the way of other nations and served their gods, 
He would leave them and the city and the house he bad 
built desolate and the wicked of Israel a laughing 
stock to other nations. Now it was not the house he 
had built, for God or the necessary public improve- 
ments he had made, that God was displeased with, but 
it was the way he abused his servants and married 
many women who were worshippers of idols and for 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 4I. 

them he built houses of worship of idols and in so doings 
he set a wicked example and dug a pit into which his 
own children and servants fell. 

Now as we see Rehaboam was still worse than his 
father to his subjects, the people thought they must 
have a king and they took one of Solomon's servants, 
Jeraboam by name, who was a worshiper of gold and a 
man unacquainted with God in spirit and the one 
Solomon sought to kill, who fled into Egypt, for a pro- 
phet had said God would take the kingdom from Solo- 
mon and give it to his servant. That was what made 
Solomon say he hated to have to leave his wealth 
which he had accumulated to his servant. Now this 
Jereboam made for himself out of the gold for which 
he had not labored a god of gpld in the form of a calf 
which he placed in Bethel and another in Dan and 
then to perfect his apostacy Jereboam declared to the 
ten tribes of Isreal that this God of gold was the power 
that had delivered them out from bondage, but God 
sent prophets warning the different rulers, kings and 
priests to refrain from worshipping gold and from 
taking of fields and vineyards from the laboring classes 

Now • there was Naboth's vineyard which Ahob 
took by force and slew an industrious and innocent 
man whom God avenged. Then to show God's care 
for the widow and his dislike for slavery when the 
widows creditors were going to take her home and 
her two sons for slaves to satisfy the debt, God in- 
creased the oil until they were able to meet their obli- 
gations. Kings 2-4. Now this widow was the widow 
of one of God's prophets. 



42. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Then all Judea and Jerusalem were given over to 
bondage for a time of about seventy-five _ years on the 
account of their idolitry and their king and many of 
the children of Israel were slain by the Chaldeans, 
whose king was Newchadnezzar, whose soldiers des- 
troyed the temple at Jerusalem and carried away their 
gold god and all other valuable metals and everything 
of value, with thousands of Israel as captives, and des- 
troyed every form of their government. For which 
they claimed to be justified in doing.on account of their 
form of government not being up to the standard of 
scientific principles and lacking in commercial tact, 
which the kingdom of the Chaldeans claimed to possess. 
Yet the king condescended to have a few of the most 
intelligent young men of the Hebrew race to be edu- 
cated and taught the languages and learning of the 
Chaldeans. 

While God permitted the subjugation of the He- 
brews on account of their refusing to obey Him as a 
nation and after warning them and entreating by the 
mouth of inspired men, yet God was with all of them 
who were innocent and such individuals as were some 
of these captives, God especially favored, as God 
always does; as God always comforts His people who 
are true to Him. Now the Jews soon found their 
masters somewhat different from those the Egyptians 
had to serve. 

The Chaldeans differ from the Egytians, Chal- 
deans being farther advanced as a commercial nation, 
having a different system of slavery and were more for 
subjugation of all other weaker nations by force of 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST, 43- 

• 

arms to their form of government. Yet not to chattel 
slavery but to credit slavery. And was the first nation 
history speal<s of that adopted the gold standard, v hich 
was worshiped by them as their most powerful god, for 
by its scarcity and the power it had gained in the es- 
teem of all nations. The Chaldeans had learned what 
power it possessed on account of its scarcity and it gave 
them a chance to practice usury. So when they cor quered 
the Jews they took by force all the gold that could be 
found and levied a big tax on their fields, vineyards and 
olive yards and houses. Then to get all the reward of 
the labor of that conquered country, money was loaned 
and mortgages taken on all property. 

But let us return to the captives who were taken 
to Babylon, among whom are four whose history I will 
give in part. Their names were Daniel, Shadrach, 
Mesbach and Abednego. 

These men were placed among the wise men as 
they were called in Babylon and were of those that 
stood before the king. And as it was in Egypt that 
the king dreamed dreams, so it was with the king of 
Babylon. But it differed in so much that the king of 
Babylon forgot his dream, but it in some manner 
troubled him fo much he called magicians and the 
astrologers and the sorcerers and Chaldeans and they 
came and stood before the king. And the king said 
unto them, I have dreamed a dream and my spirit was 
troubled to know the dream. Then spake the Chal- 
deans to the king. Oh king, live forever, tell thy ser- 
vants the dream and we will show the interpretation. 
The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, the 
thing is gone from me. If ye will not make known 



44. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

unto me the dream with the interpretation thereof, ye 
shall be cut in pieces and your houses shall be made a 
dung hill, but if ye show the dream and the interpreta- 
tion thereof, ye shall receive of me great gifts and re- 
wards and great honor. Therefore shew me the dream 
and the interpretation thereof. 

They answered again and said, let the king tell his 
servants the dream and we will shew the interpretation 
of it. The king answered and said, I know of a cer- 
tainty that ye would, gain the time, because ye see the 
thing is gone from me. But if ye will not make known 
unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you for 
ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak be- 
fore me until the time be changed. The Chaldeans 
answered before the king there is not a man upon the 
earth that can shew the kings matter, therefore there 
is no king, lord nor ruler that asks such things of any 
magicians or astrologers or chaldeans and it is a rare 
thing that the king requireth, and there is none other 
that can shew it before the king except the gods whose 
dealings are not with the flesh. 

For this cause the king was very angry and furious 
and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Baby- 
lon. And the decree went forth that the wise men 
shoud be slain and they sought Daniel and his fellows 
to be slain. Then Daniel answered with council and 
wisdom to Arioch, the captian of the king's guard, 
which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon. 
He answered and said to Arioch,the king's captian,why 
is the decree so hasty from the king, then the captian 
made known the thing to Daniel? Then Daniel went in 
and desired of the king that he would give him time and 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHPIST. 45- 

he would show the interpretation. Then Daniel went to 
the house and made the thing known to his three com- 
panions, Shadrach, Mesbach and Abednago, that they 
would desire the mercies of the God of Heaven con- 
cerning this secret, that Daniel and his fellows should 
not perish with the wise men of Babylon. 

Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a 
night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of Heaven. 
Daniel answered and said, blessed be the name of God 
forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His and 
He changeth the time and the seasons; He removeth 
kings and setteth up kings; He giveth wisdom unto the 
wise and knowledge to them that have unc'erstanding. 
He revealeth the deep and hidden things; He knoweth 
what is in the darkness and the light dealeth with him 
I thank Thee and praise Thee, O Thou God of my 
fathers. Who has given me wisdom and might and 
hath made known unto me what we desired of Thee, 
for Thou has made known unto us the king's matter. 

Therefore, Daniel went in unto Atioch whom the 
king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon. 
He went and said, destroy not the wise men of Baby- 
lon. Bring me in before the king and I will show unto 
the kit g the interpretation. Then Arioch brought in 
Daniel before the king in haste and said this unto him: 
I have found a man of the captives of Judah that will 
make known unto the king the interpretation. The. 
king answered and said unto Daniel: art thou able to 
make known unto me the dream which I have seen 
and the interpretation thereof? Daniel answered in 
the presence of the king and said: the secret which the 
king hath demanded, can not the wise men, the as- 



46. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

trologers, the magicians, the sooth sayers, show unto 
the king, but there is a God in Heaven that revealeth 
secrets and maketh known unto the king what shall be 
in the latter days. 

The dream and the visions upon thy bed are these 
As for thee Oh king, thy thoughts came into thy mind 
upon thy bed what should ccme to pass hearafter, and 
he that revealeth secrets maketh known unto thee 
what shall come to pass. But as for me, thy secret is 
not revealed unto me for any wisdom that I have more 
than any living, but for their sakes shall make known 
the interpretation to the king and that thou mightest 
know the thoughts of thy heart. Thou, Oh king, 
sawest and behold a great image. The great image 
whose brightness was excellent stood before thee and 
the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was 
of hne gold, his breast and arms of silver, his belly and 
his thighs of brass; his legs part of iron and part of 
clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without 
hands which smote the image upon his feet that were 
of iron and clay and break them in pieces. Then was 
the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver and the gold 
broken in pieces together and became like the chaff of 
the summer thrashing flour and the wind carried them 
away that no place was found for them and the image 
became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 

This'is the dream and we will tell the interpreta- 
tion thereof before the king. Thou, Oh king, art king 
of kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a king- 
dom, power and strength and glory. And whereso- 
ever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the fields 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 47. 

and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thy 
hand and hath made thee ruler over them all. 

Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall 
rise another kingdom inferior to thee and another 
third kingdom of brass, which shall rule over the whole 
earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, 
for as much as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth 
all things, and as iron that breaketh, all these shall it 
break in pieces and bruise, and where as thou sawest 
the feet and toes part of potter's clay and part of iron, 
the kingdom shall be divided, but there shall be in it 
the strength of iron. For, so much as thou sawest the 
iron mixed with miry clay, and as the toes of the feet 
were part of iron and part of clay, as the kingdom shall 
be partly strong and partly broken. And where as 
thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay they shall 
mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they shall 
not cleave one to another even as iron is not mixed 
with clay. 

And in the days of these kings shall the God of 
Heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be des- 
troyed and the kingdom shall not be left to other peo- 
ple, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these 
kingdoms and it shall stand forever. For so much as 
sawest the stone was cut out of the mountain without 
hands and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the 
clay, the silver and the gold, the great God hath made 
known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter, 
and the dream is certain and the interpretation thereof 
is sure. Then the king worshiped Daniel and also 
said unto him, of a truth it is, that your God is a God 



48. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

of Gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets, 
seeing thou couldst reveal the secret. 

The king made Daniel a great man and gave him 
many gifts and made him ruler over the whole pro- 
vince of Babylon. And Daniel requested of the king 
and he set Shadrack, Nesbach and Abednego over the 
affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel sat in 
the gate of the king. Then the king of Babylon made 
an image of gold. Then the king sent and gathered 
together the princes, the ' governors and the captains 
and judges, the treasurers, the councilors, the sheriffs 
and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedi- 
cation of the image, which the king had set up. Then 
when all were assembled, then an herald cried 
aloud: To you it is commanded, O people, 
nations and languages. That what time ye 
hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sack but 
psaltery, dulcimer and all kinds of music, ye fall down 
and worship the golden image that the king hath set 
up. And who so falleth not down and worshipeth 
shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning 
fiery furnace. 

Then, when the music started, all of that great 
host of people fell down and worshipped the golden 
god of the Chaldeans with the exception of three of 
the captive Jews, Shadrach, Mesbach and Abednego, 
who carelessly stood as they were protected by ten 
million well armed soldiers; yet they were unarmed 
with carnal weapons. But they would rather be 
burned than to worship a false god and a god who 
always hid in time of war. A god without a conscience, 
without mercy, without wisdom, without understand- 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 49* 

ing; only worshiped by idolaters, yet of itself was 
blameless, yet had been made thq standard of money 
by Babylon, a heathen nation from which the king 
bound all contracts of usury on his subjects to fasten 
upon them the credit system, of which their own 
native country was at that very time suffering; the 
curse of gold monetary slavery. 

No wondej they faced the king and all his mighty 
men of war and the fiery furnace, yet some would have 
advised them to have submitted to the kings as much 
as they were so much in the minority and their nation 
and city were in a desolate condition any way and as 
much as Daniel was not making any kick and as 
Daniel is careful as the writer of this not to tell what 
his views were. It might have been his office kept him 
from committing himself, as did his companions, yet 
all three of those rebels against the king were holding 
offices of trust at the time of the rebellion. 

But God said, by the mouth of one of His pro- 
phets, He would make man more precious than gold, 
and this seemed to be one of the tests that the world 
should have a precendent where, if a man was a true 
man of godly principles, he would be true to principle 
rather than worship a gold god for the sake of an of- 
fice at a big salary, when they knew it would enslave a 
nation or the world to the credit system. So these 
three men fully made up their minds to obey God 
rather than man and trust Him with their lives, and 
when they were called before the king to answer, then 
the king spoke and said: O Shadrach, Mesbach and 
Abednego, do not ye serve my gods and worship the 
goldon image which I have set up ? Now he offered 



50* USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

them one more chance to fall down and worship the 
gold god, but if not, to be cast into the fiery furnace; 
and who is that God that can deliver you out of my 
hands? 

Then Shedrach, Mesbach and Abednego an- 
swered, we are not careful to answer thee in this mat- 
ter. If it be so our God whom we serve is able to 
deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will 
deliver us out of thine hand O king. But if not be it 
known unto thee O king, that we will not serve thy 
gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast 
set up. Then was the king full of fury and the form of 
his visage was changed against Shedrach, Mesbach 
and Abednego. He commanded the furnace to be 
heated and commanded his most mighty men of his 
army to bind Shedrach, Mesbach and Abednego and 
to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. The 
furnace was so hot when they cast them in bound it 
slew the mighty men of the kings army. 

Now the king was looking in and was sure he 
saw all three of the captives fall down in the furnace 
bound hand and foot, but was surprised and rose 
up in haste and spake unto l\is councilor, did we not 
cast three men bound into the.midst of the fire? They 
answered and said unto the king, true O king! He 
answered and said, lo, I see four men loose, walking in 
the midst of the fire and they have no hurt and the 
form of the fourth is like the son of God. Then 
Nebuchadnezzar came near the mouth of the burning 
fiery furnace and spake and said, Shedrach, Mesbach 
and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, 
come forth and come hither. Then the three came 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 5I. 

forth out of the midst of the fire. And then the 
princes and governors and captains and the king's 
councilors being gathered together saw those upon 
whose body the fire had no power. Nor was a hair 
of their head singed, neither were their coats changed 
nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 

Then this king of idolatry spoke and said: blessed 
be the God of Shadrach, Mesbach and Abednego who 
hath sent His angel and deliverded His servants that 
trust in Him, that they might not serve nor worship 
any god except their own God, For there is no other 
god that can deliver after this sort. Then the king 
promoted these three Godly men in the province of 
Babylon. Then after this king Nebuchadnezzar dreamed 
he was a great tree, whose heighth reached into Hea- 
ven and the breadth unto the end of the earth. Then 
be seen a holy one come down from Heaven and com- 
manded that he should be cut down and all his branches 
should be scattered; and the holy one commanded that 
his heart should be changed from a man's and a 
beast's heart given him. This was demanded by the 
holy one. 

Npw Daniel interpretated the dream to the king to 
this effect; that if he did not break off from his sins by 
righteousness and his iniquites by showing mercies to 
the poor, least the God of Heaven should take away 
from him all the manly spirit from his heart and he 
would only enjoy himself with men of beastly natures. 
But the king headed not the warning, but continued in 
his boastful, beast-like manner until a voice from 
Heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is 
spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee. And as 



52. Usury vs. cash and christ. 

it was spoken his reason all left him and he was with- 
out man's understanding, and his councilors left him 
as they would a wild beast, and he was humbled far 
below the millions he had subjugated; but there was 
none among the poor so low as the position God 
humbled him to. 

His nature was so completely changed, his appetite 
was for grass, which he ate like an ox. His hair grew 
coarse like an eagle's feathers and in that condition he 
roved about in the rain and dew all wet, not knowing 
enough to seek shelter from the rain. And his nails 
grew long and slim like birds* claws. Then reason 
came to him and he realized vhat had happened 
him of the evil life he formerly lived. Then 
he called all his councilors to return and he was 
again established in his kingdom with excellent majes- 
ty. Then he acknowledged the God of Heaven as 
being just in all His works and ways and judgements 
and he declared that all that walk in pride He is able 
to abase. 

Now the Jews found the Chaldeans very proud of 
their form of government, and as a rule worshipers of 
science and all mental development leaving and neg- 
lecting the natural man without spiritual development 
and without God, war-like covetous, especial wor- 
shipers of specialists in any and all science or wisdom 
to such was given gifts and was honored one of an- 
other. Such as owned gold were the lords of gold, 
such as owned silver were the lords of silver; success- 
ful dealers in brass were worshiped as the gods of 
brass; such as were successful dealers in iron were 
honored as lords or gods of iron; such as were wealthy 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 53. 

dealers in wool were the lords of wool, and in fact 
every specialist in merchandise was honored bv the 
kingr, and other lords, such as extensive landlords, 
dealers in cattle, horses, sheep and fine wheat and 
flour. All who were successful were especially honored 
by the king, but the poor were neglected and taxed so 
high it was by the hardest kind of labor that they 
could live. Yet their city was one of the finest that 
has ever been built on earth. Her palaces were large 
and handsomely furnished. 

There was a high wall which was thick and strong- 
ly constructed. The gates were of sufficient strength 
to withstand any armed force of ancient instruments 
of war and through its center ran the river Euphrates, 
whose depth was sufficient to make it impossible for an 
army to enter the city by it in sufficient force to en- 
danger the city, yet the enemy who finally took the 
city turned the river from its natural course and affect- 
ed an entrance to the city by way of the river for his 
army and took the city. But, as it was with Nebu- 
chadnezzar, who was king of kings and was a great 
natural man, yet in him was weak places. He helped 
the strong instead of the weak and gave to him that 
had abundance instead of him that had need, and wor- 
shiped that which is good that is gave to man instead 
of God who gave it. And most all the vain man's life 
he gloried in his own wisdom instead of God, yet God 
was patient with him, yet he refused to take warning. 

But the time came when God taught him He had 
all the power and made the proud old monarch humble 
himself as low as man has ever been known to have to 
sink, till he was willing to leave a testimony on this 



54. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

earth to all proud kings that God has all power to bring 
kings to judgment and can overthrow proud nations at 
His will, and by whom He will. 

Then after his death his son, Belshazzar, took the 
kingdom, but heeded not the warning that God had 
gave his father. But honored the wealthy and op- 
pressed his subjects without mercy, with his power, 
that the providence of the Media rebelled against this 
young king, and unexpected to the lords of Babylon 
and the king and the wealthy merchants of Babylon. 
The Meades were unreconcilable and when they offered 
their gold and silver at usury they wouldn't regard it. 
They had been imposed upon by the Chaldean admin- 
istration as long as they could bear it and their leader 
could not be bought at any price with gold and silver 
to sell the poor of their nation; and Belshazzar's 
army returned to the city of Babylon with tidings 
to the young king that the ultimation of the 
Meadian officers was the unconditional surrender of 
the Chaldean kingdom and the city of Babylon. 

Then Belshazzar gathered all his lords and rulers 
of Babylon into the city and strengthend his army to 
make a strong defense inside its high walls. But as 
old Nebuchadnezzer was a strong king, yet had his 
weak places, so was the great wall around the city of 
Babylon. When the Meadian army arrived at Babylon 
they laid siege against its walls to draw the attention 
of Belshazzar's soldiers, yet secretly they dug a large 
ditch to intersect the one that had been made in digging 
to make the wall by the Chaldeans in the days of its 
construction. Yet they managed to keep this secret 
from the king of Babylon inside the walls. So King 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 55. 

Belshazzar, to keep his people blinded to any thought 
of fear, on the part of him and his lords he made a 
grand feast for a thousand of his commercial lords and 
drank wine before the thousand. Then Belshazzar 
called for the golden and silver cups which his father 
had taken out of the temple at Jerusalem, that the king 
and his princes, his wives and concubines might drink 
therein. Then out of them they drank wine and 
praised the gods of gold and of silver and of brass, of 
wood, of iron and of stone. 

And in the same hour came forth a man's hand 
and wrote over against the candle stick upon the 
plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king 
saw the part of the hand that wrote. And the king's 
countenance changed and his thoughts troubled him 
so the joints of his loyns were loosed and his knees 
smote against one another. Then the king cried aloud 
to bring m the Chaldean sooth sayers and he said unto 
those whom he called wise: whosoever shall read this 
writing and show me the interpretation thereof shall 
be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about 
his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. 
Then' came in all the wise men but they could not read 
the writing nor give the interpretation. 

Then was King Belshazzar greatly troubled and 
his countanence was changed in him, and his lords 
were astounded. And the queen spoke unto the king 
and said, let not thy thoughts trouble thee nor let thy 
countanence be changed. There is a man in thy king- 
dom in whom is the spirit of the Holy Gods and in the 
days of thy father light and understanding was found 
in him, for so much as an excellent spirit was found in 



56. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

him and age and understanding interpretations of 
dreams and showing of hard sentences, and the disolv- 
ing of doubts was found in Daniel, Now let him be 
called and he will show the interpretation. Then was 
Daniel brought in before the king. Then spoke the 
king to Daniel and said: I have heard of thee in that 
the spirit of the Gods dwell in thee and that light and 
understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. 
And now the wise men and astrologers have been 
brought in before me that they should read this writ- 
ing and make known unto me the interpretation there- 
of, but they could not show the interpretation of the 
thing. Now if thou canst read the writing and make 
known unto me the interpretation thereof thou shalt 
be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about 
thy neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. 

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, let 
thy gifts be to thyself and give thy rewards to another. 
Yet I will read this writing unto the king and make 
known unto him the interpretation. O thou king, the 
most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, a 
kingdom and majesty and glory and honor, and for the 
majesty that He gave him all people, nations and lan- 
guages trembled and feared before him. Whom he 
would he slew and whom he would he kept alive, and 
whom he would he set up and whom he would he put 
down. But when his heart was lifted up and his mind 
hardened in pride he lost all his mercy and reason and 
God took his glory from him and he was driven from 
the sons of men; and his heart was made like the 
beasts' and his dwelling was with wild asses. They fed 
him with grass like the oxen till he knew that the most 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 57. 

high God ruled in the kingdom of men. And thou, 
his son, O Belshazzar, has not humbled thine heart 
though thou knewestall this, but hast lifted up thy self 
against the Lord of Heaven. And they have brought 
the vessels of His house before thee and thou and thy 
lords, thy wives and thy concubines have drank wine in 
them, and thou hast praised the gods of silver and of 
gold, of brass, iron, wood and stone, which see not nor 
hear nor know, and the God in whose hands thy breath 
is — whom thou hast not glorified — from whom this 
hand was sent and this writing was writen. And this is 
the interpretation of the thing: 

God has numbered thy kingdom and finished it. 
Thou art weighed in the balance and art found want- 
ing. Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Meads 
ians and Persians. 

And that same night was Belshazzar slain and 
Daris, of Media, was crowned king of Babylon. For 
all Babylon was and is yet a golden cup in the hand of 
the Lord. Yet it is found wanting as a kingdom, God 
having something better for His people which we will 
speak of later. And the kingdom of the old city was 
of light weight, whose standard of law and righteous- 
ness which only protected property and the life and 
safety of the popular and rich. It was and yet is the 
enemy of the laboring class and the kingdom of God. 
While the old city changed locations and was destroy- 
ed, and a seat of government of might makes right was 
for a time made as strong as iron mixed with miry clay 
located at Rome, and Caesar's kingdom was strong for 
a time as iron. Even for centuries Babylon, from its 
new name, Rome,^held the supremacy of the Babylon- 



58. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

ish power of might is right until it mixed priest craft 
with its Babylonish laws, as did Egypt, which, spoken 
in other words, is mixing iron with miry clay, of which 
I want to speak more fully hereafter. 

But let us return to the Children of Israel, who we 
find partly carried captives to Babylon and all Canaan 
forced to except Babylonish laws and customs. This 
state of affairs brought grief and desolation and pov- 
erty to the once free and happy descendants of Abra- 
ham. Now among the twelve tribes history only gives 
the account of the tribes of Levi and Judah that re- 
turned to their own country to rebuild their city, Jeru- 
salem. And the covenant and laws given them of 
Mount Sinai. They were favored by the Media and 
Persian administration of Babylon to return and were 
allowed a protectorate form of government under the 
guardianship of Babylonish government, they not being 
thought competent of self-government, according to the 
judgment of the wise men of Babylon. Yet they were 
allowed to discard the laws and customs of Babylon in 
their internal affairs according to their own law if they 
so chose to do. 



CHAPTER V. 



Now we find when Nehemiah returned to Jerusa- 
lem he found the people in a state of internal slavery, 
and that to the Jews, by practicing usury, a custom of 
Babylon. For they disregarded their own laws and 
such as had money gave therrselves up to the Joseph 
covetous nature and took advantage of their brethern 
during the years of drouth, and of such as were scarce 
of money to pay the Babylonish tax, and were com- 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 59. 

pelled to practice the credit system, and were forced to 
mortgage their land and houses and vineyards and 
olive groves, and their sons and daughters to buy bread 
and victuals and pay their taxes; not knowing the 
power of usury until it was too late, when they found 
interest concentrated wealth so fast they were soon 
plunged into credit slavery. 

Nehemiah rebuked the nobles and the rulers and 
said unto them, ye exact usury every one of his 
brother and he set a great assembly against them and 
said unto them, we, after our ability, have redeemed 
our brethern, the Jews, which were sold unto the hea- 
then and will ye even sell your brethern, or shall they 
be sold unto us. Then said Nehemiah, I like wise and 
my brethern and my servants might exact of them 
money and corn. Then said he, let us leave off this 
usury and then he prayed to restore unto them even 
that day their lands, their vineyards, their olive yards 
and their houses and sons and daughters; also the 
hundredth part of. the money and of the corn, the wine 
and the oil, that ye exact of them. Then said they we 
will restore their'sand will require nothing of them, so 
will we do as thou sayest. Then Nehemiah called the 
priests and took an oath of them that they would do 
according to this promise. Then Nehemiah shook his 
lap and said, so God shake out every man from 
Israel that performeth not this promise; and all the 
congregation said amen andpraised the Lord.— Neh. 5. 

I will write a few words of their prayerful confes- 
sion to God. Now therefore our God, the great and 
mighty and the terrible God, who keepeth covenant 
and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before 



60. USURY VS. GASH AND CHRIST. 

Thee that hath come upon us and our kings and our 
princes and our priests and on our prophets and on 
our fathers and on all Thy people since the time of 
kings of Syria took the city, howbeit Thou art just in 
all that is brought upon us for Thou hast done right, 
but we have done wicked 

Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests 
nor our fathers kept Thy law nor barkened unto Thy 
commandments and Thy testimonies, wherewith Thou 
didst testify against them, for they have not served 
Thee in Thy kingdom and in Thy great goodness 
that Thou gavest them and in the large and fat land 
which Thou gavest them; neither turned they from 
their wicked works. Behold we are servants this day 
and the land Thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the 
fruit thereof and the good thereof. Behold we are ser- 
vants in it yet it yieldeth much increase unto the kings 
which Thou hast set over us because of our sins. Also 
they have dominion over our bodies and over our cat- 
tle at their pleasure and we are in great distress. And 
because of all this we make a sure covenant and write 
it, and our princes, Levites and priests seal unto it. — 
Neh. 9, 32-38. 

Now this confession makes plain the condition of 
the people in the land of Canaan and the patience and 
long-suffering of God with a people who had so long 
disobeyed Him. Yet He had compassion on them for 
several centuries, though they soon turned away from 
the covenant they made with Nehemiah. Then God 
sent them prophets, by whose mouths He admonished 
every generation to cease to do wicked and learn to do 
well that they might be a blessing in their generation 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 6t. 

instead of a curse, but their ways were wicked and in- 
stead of listening for their good, they stoned the pro- 
phets and some they killed. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Then He sent them this son who healed 
their sick, opened the eyes of the blind and 
caused the deaf to hear and healed them so they 
could walk and cleansed the lepers and raised the 
dead and preached the gospel of the kingdom of God 
to the poor and drove the money changers out of the 
temple and rebuked them for making the house of God 
a den of thieves. He taught the people not to exer- 
cise lordship over one another, nor to lay up for them- 
selves treasures on earth, where thieves could break 
through and steal and where rust would corrupt; but to 
lay up treasures in heaven where thieves could not 
break through and steal, neither could rust corrupt 
heavenly wealth; but he found most all coveting some 
earthly treasure and excused themselves on the ac- 
count their heart was occupied in the land speculation, 
others in merchandise, some in cattle and some were 
married to a wife. 

Then there were others whose hearts were entire- 
ly occupied with their sect, whose doctrines were to 
them a treasure highly esteemed, some to the Phari- 
sees and some to the Sodducees. Now there were 
several other sects Christ found to be a treasure to 
many people. Now among those He found His worst 
persecutors. Yet they taught that a part of Moses* 
law ought to be observed and demanded tithes of all 
the people; had even mint and rue and they bound 



52. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



heavy and grevious burdens to be borne of the people, 
but they would not move them with one of their fingers. 
Yet they omitted the weightier matters of mercy and 
judgment. They honored the prophets their fathers 
stoned to death and garnished their sepulchers, yet 
they killed every prophet of their generation that re- 
proved coveteousness and usury and all evil practices. 

There was a wealthy young man came to Christ 
and asked Him what he should do to inherit eternal 
life, and Christ told him to sell all he had and give it 
to the poor and come and follow Him. Christ thought 
it nothing but right for him to give it to the poor, for 
wealth is only obtained by labor and for the poor to 
get their just dues by the rich doing the right 
thing; would be a good object lesson to all future gen- 
erations. Now this young man had not committed 
adultery, neither had he killed, neither had he stolen, 
neither had he borne false witness, neither had h'e 
failed to honor his father and mother. Yet he had 
wrongfully got possession of vast wealth, which no 
man could do, according to the law of Moses, by man- 
nal labor. While he could make for himself a good 
living, there could no one man get rich without other 
men of Israel suffering the loss of his gain. 

Christ simply knowing his vast possessions had 
been wrested away from honest labor by him or his 
ancestors, which had robbed many poor in his genera- 
tion. Then, on the other hand. He could find none of 
the wealthy willing to leave their treasure in the tem- 
poral, although they knew it was the one thing they 
lacked of having eternal life. And as much as He was 
compelled, while it might have been his choice, to seek 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 63. 

His disciples and apostles among the poor, who wil- 
ling left all and followed Him. For Him to have» one 
desciple whose heart was upon a perishable treasure 
would have caused division, for they would have been 
ot different minds and could not have walked together 
unless they were agreed. 

Yet the masses would have been glad for Jesus to 
have accepted the kingdom and have ruled over the 
Jews as did David over Israel, but Christ saw that was 
not eternal life and though He could have en- 
joyed eternal life Himself and they in the state found 
them who were yet under bondage and paid a heavy 
tribute to Caesar and victims of individual pride also of 
covetousness and of a desire to be the greatest among 
themselves and wanted to exercise lordship over one 
another so He saw He would have been alone, for 
their vain corruptible temporal life in slavery would 
have been repulsive to Him, and on the other hand, His 
way of eternal life, of liberty, of peace and good will to 
all people and an easy yoke and a light burden for all 
labor and every one who was heavy laden and perfect 
rest for the soul of all, and a free tuition to all to at- 
tend His school, being altogether on the free line there 
would have been no respect of persons, the poor would 
share equally with the rich, the layman would be hon- 
ored ar much as the priest, pope, elder or bishop and 
the servant would share equal with his master and the 
maid would be equal with her mistress: so with the 
buyer, so with the seller, so with the lender, so with the 
borrower, so with the taker of usury and so with the 
giver of usury. 

And the haughty people of the earth would be no 



64. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

more in his eyes than the poor. So Jesus saw eternal 
life was for all who were willing to receive it as a free 
gift from God and would not be given to any to be con- 
sumed upon their own lusts, but it was a higher life 
than servitude and one receiving this life made them 
children of God's free family and would not exercise 
lordship over his brethern, neither could they practice 
usury nor be covetous and hold in ones possession the 
temporal gifts of God which he caused the earth to 
to bring forth for all and thereby rob some of their 
portion just to make a few wealthy lords. 

In the first place Jesus received of God eternal life, 
which He had in himself, that no enemy, either of in- 
ternal influence or external, was able to overcome. He 
was given this kingdom of the Father; neither was 
there any devil He ever met subtle enough to tempt 
Him to lay aside His crown as king of the Jews. 
Yet His kingdom was not as David's was, whose do- 
minion was temporal and carnal; whose warfare was 
with flesh and blood, and he exercised lordship over 
temporal things while he himself was a servant of lust 
and of vain pride. His evil passions were his master and 
he died a slave to corruption. But in the king of the 
Jews, His kingdom was not outwardly, but was inward- 
ly. He had power over all disease and power over all 
devils. He stood alone the sole representative of 
God's Kingdom, of which John asked the people to 
behold. 

He came here in the form of a servant and over- 
come every death by sin; and said unto the coveteous: 
birds have nests and foxes have holes but the Son 
of Man hath not where to lay His head. As it had 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 65. 

been written, they had sold themselves for naught 
and God sent His son to redeem 'man without money, 
but He bore all the sins of the people patiently. He 
felt sorry to see the young man who had great pos- 
sessions turn away from His advice to abide in a rich 
death. Then there were other reasons why Jesus felt 
sorry for the rich when He told them that a man's 
life didn't consist in what they had in their possess- 
ions, for He knew the word of God by the mouth of 
the prophets, and where He had told King Solomon 
he would destroy their city and leave their land a deso- 
lation, would be fulfiled in that generation. He knew 
it would soon be taken from them, but he gave them 
warning yet they were so slow to hear, he was so dis- 
couraged about there being any rich man entering the 
kingdom, he said it would be easier for a camel to go 
through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter 
the kingdom of heaven. This statement almost 
wrecked the faith of his disciples and they asked him 
who could be saved, for they supposed the rich had a 
much better chance to please God than the poor. 

Jesus answered them, what was impossible with 
man was possible with God. While Christ knew the 
rich would have to give up the evil riches and become 
as poor as the poorest and would have to except eter- 
nal life as a free gift from God, or forever remai n a 
slave to covetousness and toil as did Solomon, 
who died a rich slave to his own passion. And crying 
out m his dotage; All what I have in possession is 
vanity aud vexes the spirit. 

Yet Jesus loved the rich and sympathized with 
them, yet He loved liberty for all people far more. Yet 



66. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

with love and patience He preached publicly the way of 
life to all alike. Yet the priests and rulers treated 
Him with contempt and scorn. But Christ, knowing 
their temple would be destroyed and their city burned 
and their country would be left desolate and there 
would be wars and rumors of wars, yet He loved them 
and tried hard to make them hear in time. But when 
they rejected Him entirely He looked upon their city 
and wept for them and said: How oft would God have 
gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under 
her wings and ye would not. He tried as best He could 
to explain to His disciples the sin of one person want- 
ing to be greater in any temporal way than his fellow 
creatures unless it was to be willing. To be more pat- 
ient and kind to the afflicted and poor, that they might 
be won to the Kingdom of God, for it was God's good 
will to give them the Kingdom and the rich, if they 
would have been willing to have been saved from their 
domineering ways. 

So the one that was willing to be the least and a 
true servant of righteousness was the greatest in His 
sight; and the one that wanted to be greater than his 
fellows that they would have to obey his commands, 
was in His sight very small. But to sihow all men that 
He was Lord of lords and King of kings and One far 
greater than earthly kings who ruled by force instead 
of love, mercy and liberty and good will to all. He 
made Himself the servant to His disciples. He washed 
their feet and provided them fish to eat. Instead of 
being served He served them His good will to all 
men and His unselfishness caused Him to be loved by 
many, although He made of Himself no reputation but 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 67. 

was meek and lowly, yet so much the more were the 
great acts and mercies which God did, using Him as 
His servant through which He spoke, in so much He 
outshone all others that had been before Him. For 
He was like a bright and shining star that grew bright- 
er and brighter, and it was hoped by many that this 
star would remain in the flesh of one man and that His 
light would shine forth on the throne of David and that 
He would gather the twelve tribes of Israel in the little 
strip of mountainous country which at one time was 
subject to David's power. But in such a desire they 
must be disappointed, although He knew He was the 
brightest star the world had ever seen. 

Yet He had no desire to shine in a world whose 
sun and moon were less bright than His star. For 
Moses was the light which was as Jacob called, 
the sun; and Jerusalem was, as Rachel, Joseph's 
mother, called, the moon, prophetically speaking. 
While there was the promise unto Abraham, many 
of his seed shone as stars, but when this star of 
Bethlehem arose the sun, moon and stars of that 
world refused to shine; for He revealed love in heighth 
and depth and length and breadth in a pure and simple 
way that none of the former lights had ever been able 
to enjoy; while He had the company of those who had 
left all to follow Him and the wealthy and such as 
were rulers came to Him for council and fair maidens 
left serving to sit at His feet to learn of pure love. 
Even one maid who loved Him much washed His feet 
with tears and wiped them with her hair. 

While there is no doubt He dearly loved them as 
the children of God and it would have been lawful for 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



Him to have chose for Him a wife, yet there was a 
good reason why He decided different. In the first 
place His heart was too large and pure to be contented 
with domestic life, for He saw, as did the prophet, that 
the days of distress were upon that generation and it 
would be far better for those whom He loved to be 
filled with the spirit and freed from sin and in the; joy 
and service of the Lord in His harvest bringing in 
precious sheaves, than to be giving suck. So He saw 
no earthly inducements that had any power to swerve 
Him from His Father's purpose. So He saw it was 
His Father's will for Him, though a perfect star, al- 
though not of that world, to fall to the earth a grain 
of corn, that, through the power of God He might re- 
appear in the hearts of all the fallen and the lost of this 
dark world that they would receive God — might shine 
as clear as He had shone, so He would not abide alone. 

Though His star fell and refused to longer shine 
alone in the flesh, it was a glorious fall, a fall for love 
a fall for the liberty of the oppressed slaves of sin; but 
as He fell through the old heaven He sent out such 
bright rays of love to His enemies, who looked on Him 
through envy out of their little heavens of the old 
heaven. Tho' He met his fall like a lamb in innocency. 
And the stars of the little sect heavens of the Phara- 
sees' and Saducees' heavens and quite a number of 
other little heavens in which they could only shine, 
but before His death in the flesh He was careful to ex- 
plain to His disciples as best He could to them the 
nature and manner of His second coming to establish 
His kingdom and told all people to seek first the king- 
dom of God and His righteousness and all else neces- 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



sary would be added unto them. For God knew what 
they needed and He told His disciples to pray God's 
kingdom to come and to pray for His will to be done 
here in earth as it is in heaven. 

And in another place He told His disciples to not 
fear for it was God's good will to give them the king- 
dom. And in another place He told them there be 
some standing here which shall not taste death till they 
see the son of man coming in His kingdom and in an- 
other place they were standing by Him and He told 
them His kingdom came not by observation, but it 
would be in them. Trying to get them to understand 
it would come in power in the spirit to give mankind 
a better understanding of righteousness than could be 
taught them by the ways of riian or the letter of what 
they read. 

And after trying for three years to make them 
understand the nature of His coming kingdom before 
he was crucified He still saw they were so weak and 
intimidated by the influence of credit, creed, craft, 
slavery and the wrong impression made upon their 
minds by the superstitious priest craft of their gener- 
ation, He told them just before His death He had 
many things to tell them, but they could not bear them 
now, but after He was taken away the spirit would re- 
veal to them all that was necessary for them to 
know. 

Yet after He was resurrected He still taught them 
some new things according to the scriptures. He 
opened up their understanding so they could under- 
stand the scriptures of all written of the prophets, but 
told them they must not think just because they under- 



70. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

Stood the scriptures they had it all yet but must wait 
till they received spiritual power. But just before He 
left as a servant and in the form of man they asked 
Him when He was going to return to restore his king- 
dom. He told them that John baptised with water but 
they should be baptised with the spirit. And He told 
them it was not given to those who had just received 
John's baptism and only understood the scriptures to 
know the times and the seasons which the Father hath 
put in His own power, but they should receive power 
to possess the kingdom after the holy spirit came upon 
them and then they could be His witnesses and preach 
His gospel of the kingdom to all nations as a witness, 
then would the end come. Some have believed that 
the end of the Aaronic priesthood as an Ecclesiastical 
body was the end referred to in this prophecy. And 
the throne of God's Son would be established forever 
and ever, in which all can enter by the sceptre of God's 
revealed righteousness into His kingdom. But the 
scriptures say the unrighteous cannot inherit the king- 
dom of God. Neither fornicators nor idolators nor 
extortioners nor murders shall inherit the Kingdom, 
and such were some who are now in the Kingdom. 

Bat they were washed — but they were justified by 
the spirit of God and their evil spirits were cast out by 
the power of Christ's kingdom which has power to cast 
out of His kingdom every power that offended, and 
such as would inherit and possess and be possessed of 
His power must have everything taken from their 
heart that is evil. But in the early history of Christ's 
kingdom it suffered great violence and the violence 
took it by force. 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 7l. 

In the first place, Jesus was the first and only rep- 
resentative that was entirely subject to the dominion 
of the spirit and plainly told those who He met that 
His God was a spirit. But as it had been with all the 
Spiritual, servants of God that spake as the Spirit gave 
utterance which met with great opposition and even 
violent death at the hand of the precept priestcraft, 
so it was with God's own son. Then as soon as others 
were given power to possess the kingdom and went 
forth preaching the kingdom as a witness to prove to 
all men that all unrighteousness was wrong. It offend- 
ed the kingdom of Babylon at Rome and all those who 
preached against idolatry and the usury credit system, 
extortion and adultery were put to death, so the king- 
dom suffered violence and violence took it by force. 
Yet before some of Christ's kingdom were slain they 
left written testimonies of Christ's unselfish love as a 
King of kings and Lord of lords and governors, and of 
His desire that His ministers and the subjects of His 
kingdom might make intercessions and prayers to all 
those in authority that they might be saved. For Christ 
would have all men to be saved and come to the 
knowledge of the truth as it is in Christ, which Paul 
said, was the only mediator between man and God, to 
be testified of in due time. This testimony we get out 
of one of his epistles to Timothy written shortly before 
he was put to death in Rome and just a few years be- 
fore the destruction of Jerusalem. 



CHAPTER VII. 

But we find St. John escaped the violence which 
many of Christ's ministers of His kingdom had to 



72. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

suffer and still preached Christ; but after fhe overthrow 
of the city of Jerusalem and the Levitical priesthood as 
an Ecclesiastical power, it seems there were some who 
tried to continae Ecclesiastical church authority in Asia 
and claimed that Christ had not come to His people in 
His kingdom. Bat St.John wrote a letter to those in Asia 
who had escaped death at the hands of the Romans 
and in the epistle he said^ Beloved believe not every 
spirit, but try the spirits whether th ^y are of God. 
Because many false spirits are gone out into the world. 
Hereby know ye the spirit of God; every spirit that 
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of 
God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus 
Christ is come in the flesh is not of God, and this that 
spirit of anti-Christ that ye have heard that it is should 
come and even now it is already in the world. 

And he wrote to them he knew the Son of God 
had come and had gave him an understanding that he 
might know Him that was true and he was in Him that 
was true, and farther said: He that had the doctrine he 
Christ, had both the Father and the Son, for they 
themselves are the only doctrine they have got. And 
he told them if there came any unto them and bring 
not that doctrine ask them not in your house, or in 
other words, if any came unto them without the Father 
and the Son, ask them not into your house. Now this 
offended the desolate Ecclesiasticism that had been set 
up in Asia and they had St. John banished, for there 
were some like Diotrephes, who loved to have the pre- 
eminence, who prated against St. John and the elect of 
God with malicious words. 

Yet he was not content therewith but he would not 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 73. 

receive the brethern and forbid them that would, and 
cast them out of the church. So when St. John was 
banished to the Isle of Patmos he was visited by the 
Lord and his angels which revealed to him the sinful 
condition of the seven churches of Asia and of what 
was to come to pass hereafter. At that time five out 
of seven needed repentance; some had fallen from their 
first love. Others had a seat for Satan and taught the 
doctrine cf Balaam and eat things sacrificed unto idols, 
others had a name to live and was dead. Then there 
were others who were neither hot nor cold. Of this 
class were the rich and increased in goods, and though 
they had need of nothing, yet in his sight they were 
poor, miserable, blind, wretched and naked, but in all 
these conditions he asks them to repent and each one 
of them that would overcome he would give the morn- 
ing star and to some he promised to give to eat of the 
tree of life, others a white stone and in the stone a new 
name that no one could know except him that received 
it; then to others he promised to give hidden manna, 
others he promised to save from the second death. 

Then there were those who he set before them 
an open door that no man could shut and to make 
them a pillar in the temple of his God and write upon 
them his new name of the New Jerusalem, which com- 
eth down from God out of heaven. Now this promise 
was made and worded in such a manner that one 
could except the promise independent of any fallen 
church, for he gave them to understand he would 
remove their candle stick if they did not comply 
with his will for he knew what they would do. For 
that reason he did not want the righteous to have to 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



suffer for the sins of the wicked, yet he knew their 
seven heavens would have to be rend that some 
might be saved and that all stars would have to fall 
before the Lord's day would fully come and he knew 
it was natural to worship angels. Even John himself 
had to be reproved for that offense and told to wor- 
ship God, yet Christ is patient and merciful even to his 
enemies, yet for the good of all men that all might 
come to God and enjoy His presence, he had to remove 
all seven candlesticks for the city unto which he in- 
vited all the twelve tribes of Israel, to which he opened 
to each tribe a gate which was well lighted and had no 
need of a candle and of course would no longer need a 
candle stick and as the angels of God showed St. John 
Christ's kingdom of heaven is like a beautiful city 
which came down to this earth and makes it new and 
comes down to man and God himself is man's God 
and He and His Son, who is as innocent as a Iamb, are 
the light of his kingdom and it has no need of a 
temple which has to either be lighted by a candle or the 
moon or the sun to shine in it. 

And it was farther revealed to St. John that if 
nations were saved, that God, Himself would be light 
for them to walk by. Then the angels told John the 
only class of people and nations that would be 
deprived of God as their light. Such as are fearful 
and unbelieving and abominable and murders, 
whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and liars; 
for such the angel said were the victims of the second 
death. 

But he farther showed St. John that Christ is able 
to save the people from this second death and resur- 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 7^, 

rect them to a life that these sins, which is unto death 
would no longer have power over them. The angels 
showed John that Christ's first resurrection of man- 
kind was from the second death and not from the first 
death of the natural body, which is a firstt law of God, 
and all men, both rich and poor, both saint and sinner, 
have to succumb to it alike. Yet one of the Apostles 
says there is a spiritual body and Christ Himself said^ 
God is a spirit. 

Not that I care to give my views on the doctrines 
of men nor in any way argue with my brother or 
neighbor, and I hope all can see there is nothing in 
the second death to hold to and agree with the angel 
when he said to St. John, blessed are they who have 
part in the first resurrection, upon whom the second 
death hath no power. It seems St. Paul believed God 
wanted to be with His people but especially opposed 
idolatry. I will first quote from his writings where he 
said: What agreement hath the temple of God with 
idols? For ye are the temple of the living God, as 
God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them 
and I will be their God and they shall be My peo- 
ple. — 2nd Cor. 16-16. And in another epistle Paul 
calles the attention of those to whom he is writing and 
speaks to them thus: Know ye not that ye are the 
temple of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you? 

Now some gel the temple of God built by man, 
that has to have temporal light mixed or confused with 
the living people of God whose light is God's spirit; 
for James says the body is dead without the spirit. 
Then I read that God hath no pleasure in the death 
of him that is dead ^wji^biliHJplvMid; wherefore turn all 



76. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

and live ye for Christ is come. But the gods of creed 
craft and the lords of credit have blinded the minds of 
mankind lest they would see ihe true light and gain 
their liberty. So the seven Ecclesiastical churches or 
seven candle sticks of Asia soon came to naught after 
St. John testified to them what had been revealed to 
him on the Isle of Patmos. 

Some years afterward Ecclesiasticism was allowed 
in Rome as a substitute for Christ and His kingdom 
under restriction, but at any rate the compromise was 
made and the poor were neglected and labor soon suf- 
fered from the curse of usury or credit system. Al- 
though it is denounced by the scriptures and is classed 
among the sins of the second death by the prophets of 
God, the church was silent, with but few exceptions, 
and leaned in whatever direction the nation in which 
it happens to be located is a mind to direct. Just so 
the nation will favor their priest craft and build them 
costly synagogues and name and dedicate them in 
honor to the name of their craft. They have nothing 
to say against usury. 

Centuries have passed by and priest craft is yet in 
sympathy with credit slavery and usurers are invited 
to the churches of all, or most all, Ecclesiastical assem- 
blies to partake of what they claim to be the Holy 
communion of their churches. And there you meet 
the extortioners at Sunday service, the day set apart 
by Constantine claiming it to be the day ot God, there- 
by making Christ, the light and the true Sabbath and 
rest of God's people, of non-eifect to those whose eyes 
are blinded by creed craft. 



USURY VS. €ASH AND CHRIST. 77. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

But as Joseph was the first to enforce national credit 
slavery, Moses was the first to denounce it in one 
nation and Christ was the first to offer to save all na- 
tions from it. Yet God used Moses to denounce the 
credit system, but the law of custom of legalized usury 
has been so long practiced upon the nations of the 
earth most all have become used to it. Many honest 
people have never given it proper thought. Even those 
at the head of the nations have never understood the 
curse of the credit system and the way it wrongfully 
enslaves the masses of mankind. And while they are 
intelligent and up to date in many ways in public and 
national and individual affairs, yet in this onepartiaular 
they have only looked at it in a local way and many 
have thought the legal rate of interest some too high, 
but would call to mind where some one had made a 
loan, even at high interest, and then was so successful 
in the investment that they were soon able to pay it 
and had a handsome profit left for their trouble. Then 
on the other hand, there were many others who bor- 
rowed money and obtained credit by mortgaging pro- 
perty, who seemed to be industrious and made every 
possible effort to meet the obligation, yet were unsuc- 
cessful and lost all their time and labor and part of the 
property mortgaged to secure the loan. 

Now the common way to look at usury and some 
loosing their property in that way, is that they are 
among those that are born unlucky, and, on the other 
hand, some are born lucky and can naturally gather 
money if they lived on a rock. The majority of men 
have not taken time to study the power of usury where 



78. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

the credit system can be forced upon mankind by some 
unjust law,"legalized by dishonest government officials. 
Of course, even they are excusable when forced to 
adopt such laws by a stronger nation. But usury has 
generally been understood to mean a greater per cent, 
than is provided for by national laws; but the word 
usury certainly means increase if it is not more than 
one per cent. 

As much as that amount can't be paid without its 
absorbing all the property of the earth under any law 
that has so far been discovered to regulate the credit 
system. Now let us see if all the nations of the earth 
could afford one per cent, simple annual interest. We 
will just illustrate this by saying there are some rich 
Hebrew bankers located in the largest city on earth and 
were favorably located to receive the commerce of the 
world. These bankers owned a controlling interest in 
all the gold mines of the world, also a controling in- 
terest in all the merchant ships of the great and small 
seas and also a controling interest in all railroad 
systems and they had finally cornered all the money of 
the earth. In so much all nations would agree to bor- 
row all of it at one per cent and all that might be 
coined from their rich goM mines and all that they had 
accumulated from their ships and railroad systems. 

In the first place, we will just say the entire 
amount of monetized money of all nations, 
all told to start with is twenty billion dollars, 
being equally divided, viz: gold and silver, 
and those Hebrews would loan the entire amount 
to the nations of the world at one per cent, 
annual interest, the notes being drawn for one hun- 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 79. 

dred years, interest payable annually and the nations 
agreeing to borrow it at the same rate of interest and 
on the first day of January of each year to borrow of 
the Hebrews what they had accumulated by their in- 
vestments at the same per cent, and every note drawn, 
principle to be paid one hundred years from date. 
Now the interest the first year would be two hundred 
million and one hundred times two hundred millions is 
twenty billion, which would equal the principle, amount- 
ing in all, less the interest on the interest, forty billion 
instead of the twenty billion, which was the first 
amount borrowed. 

Now if it has taken all the nations of the earth 
since Joseph introduced national slavery, which is 
thirty six hundred years to gather twenty billion dol- 
lars, how can the people of our century gather twenty 
billion dollars in one century, let alone the 
amount of one per cent simple annual interest which 
would begin doubling itself in the third year of the 
second century, from the time the first loan was made 
which would be a nice income to the Hebrews each 
New Year's morning, which would amount to over one- 
hundred and twenty billion in two-hundred and four 
years, which would be one-hundred billion usury, not 
speaking of the interest of the money gathered from 
the mines, the ships and the railroad systems. 

Now if one per cent, usury is a greater amount 
than can be paid without it absorbing all the property 
on earth and in earth and on the water and in the 
water, and it being a less per cent, than the nations 
are paying, is it any wonder that there are millions of 
homeless, hungry slaves, and that all nations are poor 



So. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

as nations and all credit systems are rich. It seems, 
according to the incorporated capital stocky or rather 
credit stock, of the credit systems af America, incor- 
porated under the different state laws, each credit 
system claiming to have a certain amount of capital 
stock, this, including! the railroad credit systems^ in all 
being above twenty-eight billion dollars. And Great 
Britian elaimesto be a greater creditor nation than 
America, and it is claimed a great deal is loaned to 
American credit systems. England and her colonies, 
over which she has dominion, the capital stock on 
credit systems must be at least thirty billion. 

Then there is Germany, Russia, Austria, France, 
Spain, China, Japan ancl a number of other countries, 
besidesMexico and South America, all told, it is safe 
to say would amount to one hundred billion, and at no 
less than four per cent., which would be four billion per 
year and would cost the nations ten million nine hundred 
thousand nine hundred and four dollars per day, four 
hundred and fifty-six thousand six hundred and twenty 
dollars per hour; seven thousand six hundred and ten 
dollars per minute, and one hundred and twenty-six 
dollars per second, to practice the credit system. 

After the credit system has swallowed up all the 
money allowed as a medium of exchange, this monster 
is still unsatisfied. Like a famine it devours all before 
it. It requiring as one year's rations thousands of 
cattle, and sheep and hogs, inumerable bushels of 
wheat and corn and vegetables and fruits, and tons of 
iron and steel, and miscellaneous merchandise and 
deeds to lands and railroad stock, and interest-bearing 
b(?ads on municipalities. And after this monster has 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 8l. 

feasted sumpteously for one whole year it is just like 
the seven ill-favored cattle Pharaoh saw in his dream 
that were still ill-favored after eating the other cat- 
tle larger than themselves, but being ill-favored and 
bad formed as ever. 

The lords of usury in making out reports on the 
import and export trade, have continually deceived 
us, saying that exports exceed our imports to the 
extent of several hundred million dollars annually in 
our favor, while the reverse is true. For exports and 
imports have three clasificatioris; first gold, second 
silver, and third merchandise, which includes all other 
articles of trade. Now if we have exported, say 
three hundred million dollars per year more than has 
been imported, for thirty years the exports would 
amount to nine billion dollars in excess of imports. 

When will they ever send us this other nine billion 
or how are the books balanced each year? Could it 
be there is actually Hebrew bankers over in London 
who just credit American borrowers with three hun- 
dred million, the amount of interest we have to pay 
them and while the credit systems of usury live, the cash 
systems can't be practiced as it should be. And to far- 
ther legalize usury let it be nations or individuals is to 
fight against the commandments of God; the teaching 
of the bible. They must fight against the true princi- 
ples of business and as yet it has enslaved every nation 
that has adopted its systems. 

America's resources for every need of man are 
unsurpassed on earth, yet our country has less than 
two billion dollars of money as a medium of exchange, 
but is paying usury on twenty-eight billion at an average 



82. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

of five per cent. The annual interest being three-fourths 
the amount of money allowed us for exchange. Yet the 
money trust is trying to cut the money medium down 
one-half to strengthen private credit and get a higher 
profit on our labor, and to cut off all hope of our sons 
and daughters going into business in any line of industry 
with a small capital. There is a trust of credit formed 
on every article of life and our sons and daughters are 
compelled to either work as the trusts direct and at 
their wages or starve. Then the trusts issue usury 
bonds and sell the profits of our labor to the stock 
gamblers; so we are slaves in our own country. 

But our greatest usury is forced upon us by the 
trusts of credit. There is the incorporation bonds 
bearing usury as soon as the corporation is formed 
and will continue to breed usury bonds as long as the 
corporation lives. It makes no difference how high its 
stock sells or how low it will collect usury, while on 
earth it exists. Then this is not all. The one sideness 
of this class of usury, especially transportation incor- 
poration usury. They are not in any way restricted 
in the number of bonds they issue. It is often twice 
the amount of the value of all their property. 

Yet they are the worst opposers to the govern- 
ment in which they exist, being delivered from the 
credit system. Yet they exact cash in hand of all 
their patrons. If they carry a passenger they must 
buy a ticket, paying the cash for the full distance in ad- 
vance, they expect to travel; and all local freight must 
be paid for before it leaves their depot. So must car 
load lots. While most all merchants and manufactur- 
ers and farmers, in fact all producers and consumers. 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 83. 

excepting credit and creed, would like to go to the 
cash basis instead of credit and Christ instead of creed. 
But as it is, the railroad credit systems hive no less 
than ten billion credit bonds and stocks in the credit 
market of which they pay at least five per cent, usury, 
which they collect of their patrons, which amounts to 
five hundred million dollars annually. Then high sal- 
aries to railroad officials. Many of the presidents of 
the different companies receive as high a salary as the 
president of the United States and some even higher. 
Then, in addition to this, a handsome dividend to stock 
holders after all other expenses are paid. So you see 
they practice the credit system with the lords of credit 
and the cash system with their helpless patrons, which 
drains the nation of what little money is allowed us 
as a medium of exchange; robbing both producer and 
consumer. 

The railway being the greatest private credit 
system in existence and the most dangerous to the cash 
system, for at the present time its bonds exceed the 
cash of the nation not less than eight billion, and 
each year declares a large dividend above all expenses 
including their interest or usury; while poor old Uncle 
Sam can only report what he and his children are in 
debt to this great power of private credit. 

While Great Britian as a nation is just as poor as 
America, being subjugated by her own private credit 
systems. While they have favored the queen and her 
royal family with great wealth, yet the masses of Brit- 
ian and her many colonies are tenants and wage earn- 
ers, being allowed a small amount of money as a 
medium of exchange; thereby forcing its labor to slave 



84. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

wages. Many have wondered how so small a country 
can support so many people, even if they can force 
them to labor at such low prices. In addition to this 
thay have to maintain the largest standing army in the 
world and the strongest and most costly navy to hold 
all her colonies. 

The fact is, the colonies are forced to pay the 
private credit systems of Great Britian high usury, 
amounting to many millions yearly. The masses of 
North America contribute vast sums of money and 
merchandise to support and enrich England's credit- 
ors; for since i860 America has made heavy 
usury payments to support the great credit systems of 
England. And at the time most of the obligations 
were contracted it was to be paid in the monetized 
money of America; namely silver and gold at a ratio of 
about fifteen to one. So it was with most of the obli- 
gations of England's colonies and millions of dollars 
was loaned to India of silver at about the same ratio. 

The agents of the great credit systems of England 
secured help from the credit systems of America to in- 
duce congress to suspend any further coinage of silver 
in America, in 1873, which soon depreciated silver in 
America and appreciated gold. Yet all merchandise 
we exported to England, being the leading market of 
the world, depreciated one-half in value, which so op- 
pressed the producers of America for the next five 
years, silver was again allowed to be coined in limited 
quantities and was again raised a few million per year 
in 1890, but entirely suspended in 1893. So it was in 
India, which causes all merchandise provisions 
to fall in value to a less price than prior to 1873; 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 85. 

England bcin^ the greatest consumer of provisions 
their income being just the same as it was when the 
standard money was silver as well as gold. 

Under this new condition they could now buy of 
those who had to pay their usury interest just twice 
the amount of provisions as they could under the 
double standard, for America and the other nations 
that b orrowed of England's credit systems and her 
colonies and India had to still pay their usury on their 
old silver loans. The English credit systems having 
made themselves safe by exchanging all their silver 
for first class notes, which would bring them as much 
usury as would paper bought with gold, all the loss 
falling on the debtors. These creditors are yet receiv- 
ing millions of dollars of usury on their old silver loans 
but refuse to take silver for more than half what they 
sold it for. 

It seems the English credit systems are so well 
satisfied with North American investments of credit 
that they are greatly interested in fastening the sy- 
stem upon us, as they have upon England, for we clear 
them a greater amount of money to the amount invest- 
ed than they can make off Englishmen, for we are not 
aware of our conditions yet. Not suspecting the final 
outcome, we are industrious, ingenious, inventive, 
quick to accept a chance to speculate, very percevering 
we will run great risks, hard to discourage, full of self 
reliance, and after we see we are getting the worst of 
it we are to proud to own it. We have been taught to 
respect our political masters and they have taught us 
we should trust in them more than in a sober thought 
and a just government guided by the spirit of God. 



S6. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

For that reason, we are greatly desired for credit 
slaves. So we, with all other nations that have been 
foolish enough to adapt the English credit systems 
are as much her credit slaves as her colonies. A yoke 
of bondage we and our children will have to bear as 
long as credit is practiced instead of cash. 

For by whom a nation is overcome it is the ser- 
vant of that power to obey. Why then claim to be 
christianized if we practice the same customs that were 
practiced by Egypt thirty-five hundred years ago? Is 
it possible that the love of lordship credit is more to be 
desired by the rulers of our nations than eternal life and 
liberty for all their people? For whatsoever ruler that 
leads his nation into captivity shall go into captivity, 
for by whatsoever a ruler is overcome and into which 
he leads his nation, he and his nation are slaves to that 
master. So when Pharaoh made Joseph governor over 
all Egypt and gave him liberty to teach his senators 
and bind his princes at his will, Joseph soon led all 
Egypt into slavery. While he enjoyed the pleasure of 
lordship for a short time it dug a pit of slavery for his 
own nation and his own children with them. 

Now it seems the Josephs are not all dead, but the 
modern Josephs are cunning enough to lead captive the 
rulers of most all nations into servitude. In so 
much they have induced the law makers to 
legalize high usury and to carry national loans 
for so long the principle in many cases has been 
paid in usury several times, yet the debt is often 
funded to favor the great gold trust. But the national 
debt is only a drop in the bucket, so to speak, where 
the credit system can obtain a foot-hold on a nation's 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 87. 

industrious, hard-laboring people. They go right into 
the congress or senate and to the president, if he will 
tolerate it — which some will if it is not made public — 
and there make some law maker rich in a short time 
and get all they can find of the Joseph nature to stop 
minting the silver, the product even of the country. 
Then they send agents into every productive part of 
the nation and secure as many loans on all real estate 
at as high usury as possible. 

Then they organize the Joseph bankers as they 
did in Egypt to make the money scarce when the yield 
of grain is plenteous, so as to force them to put the 
grain on the market at low prices, which the gamblers 
hold till they hear of some other nation that has had a 
famine, then they sell it to them at a high price, often 
causing the famined nation to make a popular loan at 
high usury which increases the labor burden still 
harder. Then they buy up all the mines of gold, silver, 
lead, zinc, iron, coal, gas wells and petroleum supplies, 
and then take charge of what God gave for one as 
much as the other. And these Josephs get the law 
makers of nations or states to legalize this wholesale 
usurpation and full control of every God-given benefit 
to man. 

Where they get entire control of some country 
and shut off all competition of the country, they con- 
tract the amount of money and get a heavy tax on real 
estate with excessive usury for delinquent tax. Soon 
the money is so scarce that all farm products are very 
low. Then agents of the credit systems of the money 
trust open up an office in every county to sell their 
money for real estate paper and town property. They 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



soon have millions of mortgage paper in every county ; 
then they soon double their money. Yet the poor 
land-tillers are greatly discouraged. Many have given 
up their homesteads and become tenants. Then it is 
lords and tenants, or in other words, masters and 
slaves. 

When labor says anything about the treachery of 
usury, they are told it was bad management, Now 
many of the victims of usury worked harder than any 
chattel slave, trying to pay out and save their home- 
stead, but after years of the hardest kind of labor and 
many nights studying every honest plan to meet their 
obligations; but when all farther efforts are useless 
then he and his family are turned out of house and 
home, without money and without property and all of 
a lifetime's work unrewarded. Yet others are in dan- 
ger of loosing their homes in town by legal usury, when 
the city paves a street or makes other public improve- 
ments, the property along either side is taxed for the 
cost thereof, which sometimes reaches up to thousands 
of dollars, some having no surplus money they are ob- 
liged to defer payment and pay a high usury 
and often robs the house of all comforts and their 
children of their schooling and put the whole family 
in credit slavery. 

Now is this usury a benefit even to the takers of 
usury, after he ha^ got his neighbor's house and farm 
and money? Does it bring happiness to the usurer, or 
does it bring additional care and vexations? Can the 
usurer live in many houses at the same time? No. 
Can he eat, drink, wear and enjoy more of the natural 
blessings of life, than they who have wholesome food 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 8q. 

and comfortable raiment? Mo. Can he be a man of 
mercy to himself, to toil and worry his body and vex 
his brain for something he don't need? Can he pos- 
sibly enj ^y more of his wealth than bis board and 
clothes; which if men would be contented with the 
abundance God supplies for all, than all would enjoy 
it together. 

Bat those who are in favor of division, which is al- 
ways the result of usury, whose lords always secure f jr 
themselves a membership m the most popular 
churches and have got thousands of their ministers to 
blin i the people as did the priests of Egypt. All they 
ever did to amount to anything was to attend funerals 
and hold the corpse for forty days until the relatives 
paid all his or her debts, for they practiced th?^ credit 
system, as the priests told them they must pay their 
debts or their bodies would never be resurrected. 
Those Egyptian priests were so covetous they would 
dun a debtor indirectly through their living relatives 
forty days after he was dead. So by usury and priest 
craft Egypt was made the least of all nations, which 
was once the niost powerful. And it does not take 
one long to see that a nation is on its road to Egypt 
where usury and priest craft are the controling powers. 
And such nations are mott opposed to cash and Christ 
and eqaal rights to all and full reward for labor. Yet 
they defend usury, that which has robbed the tilled 
fields of all their yield and he who reaped them of all 
his wages; the vineyards of all their fruit and the 
dresser of it of his reward; the rich pastures of their 
fat cattle and sheep and horses, and the herdsmen and 
shepherd of his reward; the mountains of their miner- 



90. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

als and the earth of its oil wells, and all of the miners 
of their reward. 

Men and women toil all their lives in a land of 
plentv, yet often hungry; and have need of better 
clothing^. When asked why this is, they say there must 
be something wrong, but what is wrong, we can't tell, 
never suspecting usury. Yet they struggle and toil on 
each year, Gad sending the early and the latter fains 
and abundant crops; yet they get nothing for their 
labor after their interest is paid. When they ask why 
times are so hard for the laboring people, there stands 
the agent of credit ready to say this is the most pros- 
perous year for commerce the nation has ever known. 
Well, says the laboring man, it seems money must be 
scarce. The credit agent says the banks are well sup- 
plied and if a man has anything to get money with he 
can get plenty. Well, answers the laborer, our hands 
are strong, and ready to work, but you count that 
no hing, in commerce, I suppose. Oh well, answers 
the credit agent, over production causes that. 

Well, how does a plentiful year reduce wages for the 
laborer, and cause him to suffer right in the midst of 
plenty, and on the other hand, give great profit to the 
credit systems? Well, says one, every man who wants 
a job can get one. That is true, but did not all Israel 
get a job of Pharaoh? Did not all the slaves in the 
days of chattel slavery get a job? Who got the profits? 
Where, if money was plenty to exchange values on 
a cash basis, all could have shared alike; all would 
have done wall enough; none wjuld have done too 
well, and none would hive done bad, for cash acts alike 
for all. 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. QI. 

CHAPTER IX. 

Some may. think the scriptures jusnfv the taking of 
usury. For that reason we will give, with all the con- 
necting circumstances, every passage relating to usury 
which is mentioned in the old testament and in the new 
scriptures. First, Exodus 22-25. Among crimes pro- 
hibited we find the following: If thou lend money to 
any of my people that is poor, by thee, thou shalt not 
be to him as an usurer neither shalt thou lay upon him 
usury. Second, Levitus 25-37. This passage recom- 
mends compassion on the poor referring to both the 
poverty stricken Jew and the stranger as a sojourner. 
Take thou no usury of him nor increase. Thou shalt 
not give him thy money upon usury nor lend him thy 
victuals for increase. Third, Deut. 23, 19 20. Thou 
shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of 
money, usury of victuals, usury of anything that is lent 
upon usury. Unto a stranger thou miyest lend upon 
usury, but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon 
usury, that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that 
thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou 
goest to possess it. This last verse has often been 
quoted to justify usury, yet it is limited to a stranger 
for he must be one not a sojourner. So Moses finally 
advised it as a war measure upon hostile nations which 
would be a sure way to subjugate them. In this way 
the inhabitants of Canaan, were m ide hewers of wood, 
and drawers of water for the Hebrews. Fourth, Neh. 
5-7. In the fifth chapter of Neh. we find that great 
distress prevailed among the Jews. Some were not 
able to redeem their children which were sold for usury 
debt. Some had mortgaged their farms and others 



Q2. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

their vineyards to pay their taxes, and that to the 
Jews. When Nehemiah came back from Babylonish 
captivity, he found this state of affairs and rebuked the 
nobles and rulers, and said unto them, you exact usury, 
every one of his brother and he set a great assembly 
against them. Then the nobles restored all they had 
taken by usury, even their vineyards and lands and 
money and their sons and daughters. Fifth, Psalms 
15, 5. This passage of scripture is David's description 
of an upright man. He that putteth not out his money 
to usurv, nor taketh reward against the innocent. 
Sixth, Prov. 28, 8. He that by usury and unjust gain 
increaseih his substance, he shall gather it for him that 
will pity the poor. This does not seem to convey the 
idea that this unjust usurer will give it to the poor or 
pity them, but will gather it tcge-ther to fall into the 
hands of someone that will. Seventh, Isa. 24, 2. We find 
the prophet speaks of a time when the taker of usury 
will be as the giver of usury. Eighth, Jer. 15,10. The 
prophet says, I have neither lent on usury, nor have 
men lent to me on usury, yet every one of them doth 
curse me. Ninth, tenth and ele^^enth, Ezekial eigh- 
teenth chapter contains an enumeration of crimes and 
among them is usury, which if practiced, would subject 
a man to the death penalty and the avoidance of which 
would make him eligible to life. Twelfth, Ez. 22, 12. 
Usury and extortion are among the crimes charged 
against Jerusalem. This concludes the twelve passages 
that refers to usury in the old testament. Next we find 
in the new scriptures. Matt. 25, 27. We find these 
words, thououghtest therefore to have put my money 
to the exchangers and then at my coming I should 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 93- 

have received mine own with usury. This scriptvre 
has often been quoted in defense of usury. Why 
should it be used? It was the word of the rich usury 
lord spoken of by Jesus in a parable, who reaped what 
others had sown and gathered what others had strewn, 
and takes from him that has one talent, and gives to 
him that has ten and takes from him that hath not, and 
gives to him that haih abundance and when his ser- 
vant refused to practice usury, he was angry with him 
because he had not turned the money over to the ex- 
changers that he might from them have gotten his 
own with usury at his coming. I suppose the money 
changers at Jerusalem that Jesus drove out of the 
temple would have given him two talents for one for 
the use of it, for that was what he received from his 
other servants. The next and last reference is found 
in Luke 19. 23. Wherefore then gavest not thou 
my money into the bank? that at my coming I 
might have required mine own with usury. This pass- 
age, is similar to the one in Matthew, only these are 
the words of a nobleman that took a kingdom by usury 
and was hated by the cit'zens of his government, but 
had finally gotten dominion, and was around reckon- 
ing with his usury takers. We notice one of his ser- 
vants had gained one thousand per cent, on the money 
that was left him, which so pleased his master that he 
gave him authority over ten cities and another servant 
had gained five hundred per cen'-. and was appointed 
ruler over five cities, but the third brought a serious 
charge against his master, which the king admitted 
was trae, it being the same as the charge preferred 
against the lord of usury in the preceeding parable in 



94- USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

Matthew. Then this servant brought back the pound 
that had been left with him, and gave it to the unmer- 
ciful, and covetous king. This vexed the king and he 
upbraided him and asked him why, after he had made up 
his mind that usury was wrong that he did not deposit 
his money in the bank that he might have received his 
own with usury at his coming. So we see banks paid 
a per cent on time deposits in that day, the same as 
they do now. I have given all the scripture showing 
the evils of usury. 

I have now proved from the Bible itself that it con- 
tains no warrant for the odious practice, but generally 
where it is spoken of it is classed with heinous crimes. 



7 PER CENT. BETTER THAN FOUR MEN. 

I shall now ask your careful attention to a demon- 
stration that seven per cent, compounded semi-annu- 
ally will gather wealth faster than four men can earn 
it, and this is in a single lifetime. 

I find this computation in Kellogg's New Mone- 
tary System. 

Two mechanics, just come of age, are desirous of 
accumulating large fortunes. They are good work- 
men, and each is able to earn a dollar a day over 
and above his expenses. Every six months they 
loan the money thus earned at seven per cent, in- 
terest, the interest payable half yearly. They set 
their affections upon being rich, and therefore do 
not burden themselves with a house and family. 
These men earn an average of a dollar a day, be- 
sides their expenses, three hundred days in each 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



95. 



year, during forty years and four months. Their 
age is then sivty-one years and four months. Each 
earns by labor $300 per year for forty years, or for 
the whole period, $12,100 — together $24,200. The 
interest on their earnings, loaned half yearly, for a 
period of forty years and four months, accumulates 
an amount which will be seen by reference to the 
following table. Interest at seven per cent, per an- 
num, paid and re-loaned half-yearly, accumulates a 
sum equal to the principal in ten years and one month. 

TABLE. 



INTEREST AT SEVEN PER CENT. ON $300. 
1st half year they earn 

1300 00 



by their labor - 

6 moaths' interest at 7 

per cent - - - - - 

2nd half year'a labor - 

6 months' interest - - 

3rd half year's labor - 

6 month's interest - - 

4th half year's labor - 

6 month's interest - - 

Sth half year's labor - 

6 month's interest - - 

6th half year's labor - 

6 month's interest - - 



10 50 


310 50 
300 00 


610 50 

21 37 


631 87 
300 00 


931 87 
25 61 


964 48 
300 00 


1264 48 
44 26 


1308 74 
300 00 


1608 74 
56 30 


1665 04 
300 00 


1965 04 
68 78 



Amount broug-ht up 
7th half year's labor 



2033 82 



6 month's interest 



8th half year's labor - 



6 month's interest 



9th half year's labor 



6 month's interest 



10th half year's labor 



6 month's interest 



11th half year's labor 



6 month's interest 



12th half year's labor 



6 month's interest - 



2033 82 
- 300 00 


2333 82 
81 68 


2415 50 
• 300 00 


2715 50 
95 04 


2810 54 
- 300 00 


3110 54 

- 108 87 


3219 41 
- 300 00 


3519 4I 
■ 123 18 


3642 59 
- 300 00 


3942 59 
137 99 


4080 58 
- 300 00 


4380 58 
153 32 



4533 90 



q6 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 



Amount brought up - 4589 90 
13th half year's labor - 300 00 



6 tnonth's interest 



4833 90 
169 18 



5003 08 
14th half year's labor - 300 00 

5303 08 
185 61 



6 month's interest 



5488 69 
15th half year's labor - 300 00 

5788 69 
6 month's interest - - 202 60 



5991 29 
16th half year's labor - 300 00 



6 tnonth's interest 



6291 29 
220 20 



6511 49 
17th half year's labor - 300 00 

6811 49 



Amount brought up 
6 month's interest - 



18th half year's labor 
6 month's interest - - 
19th half year's labor 
6 month's interest - - 
20th half year's labor 
6 month's interest - - 
Add one month's labor 



6811 

238 


49 
40 


7049 89 
300 00 


7349 89 
257 25 


7607 14 
300 00 


7907 14 
276 75 


8183 89 
300 00 


8483 
49 


89 
49 


8533 
- 50 


38 
00 



$3583 38 



In the first ten years and one month, the two men earn by 

their labor .-..._i.- 
Interest thereon during this period . . . - - 



In the 2nd ten years and one month, the interest on this 
sum equals the principal - . - - 

2d 10 years and 1 month's lobor and interest thereon 



3rd 
3rd 

4th 
4th 



interest 

labor and interest thereon 

interest - ' - 

labor and interest thereon 



$6050 00 
2533 38 


,8583 38 
8583 38 


17166 

8583 


76 

38 


25750 
25750 


14 
14 


51500 
8583 


28 
38 


60083 
60,083 


66 
66 


1201^^' 


32 
38 


128750 


70 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 97. 

Arnount brought over .... 128,750 70 

In 40 years and 4 months the men earn by their labor - 24,200 00 

Remainder accumulated by interest - - - $104,550 70 

The interest on the sum $24,200, earned by their labor is $104,550 70— 
over four and a quarter times more than they have earned by their 
labor. Suppose the two men to live twenty years and two months 
longer — that is, to the age of eighty-one years and six months — and 
continue to loan their money. During this period it would double twice. 

Thus - - - $128,750 70 

10 years and 1 month's interest .... 128,750 70 



257,501 40 
2d 10 years and one month's interest - - - 257,501 40 



Total accumulation in 60 years and 6 months - - $515,002 80 

The two men do not labor during the last 20 years and 2 

months, and expend for their living during that period 15,002 80 



500,000 00 



In 40 years and 4 months, they earn by their labor $24,000 
and live twenty years and 2 months on their money with- 
out labor. 

Subtract money earned by labor . - - . . 24,200 00 



Remainder accumulated by interest on $24,200 - $475,800 00 

Every dollar of the $475,800 is earned by the labor of others and 
given to the two men, as the legal interest upon $24,000. These men 
live laboriously, and work for a very moderate compensation. They 
take only the legal rate of interest, and do not demand the principal 
of the money as long as the interest is paid. Neither do they enter 
into any speculations. It is, therefore, said that labor earns their 
large fortunes. Cases similar to this are often broue^ht to prove that 
an industrious man may, by his labor, accumulate a large property. 
That this conclusion is erroneous, is manifest from the .foregoing 
table, by which it appears that more than nineteen out of twenty parts 
of the large fortunes of these men are earned by others, and paid to 
them to satisfy the legal interest on their loans of money. 



CHAPTER X. 

I will now now present you some of the opinions of 
ministers and of statesmen and philosophers. 



98. USURY vs. CASH AND CHRIST. 

The catechism of the Council of Trent says that 
"Whatever is received above the principal lent, or the 
capital that was given, whether it be money or any- 
thing else that may be purchased or estimated in money 
— is usury." 

Bishop Jewell, in 1560 A. D. wrote upon the crime of 

/ usury as follows: "It is filthy gains and a work of 

' darkness; it is a monster in nature, the overthrow of 

( mighty kingdoms, the destruction of flourishing states. 

the decay of wealthy cities, the plagues of the world 

and the misery of the people. This is usury. By these 

signs and tokens ye shall know it, for wherever it 

reigneth all these mischiefs ensue.' 

Again he says: 

"Oar fathers so much abhored this trade that they 
thought an usurer unworthy to live in company with 
Christian men. They suffered not an usurer to be a 
witness in matters of law; they suffered him not to 
make a testament nor to bestow his goods by will. 
When a usurer died, they would not suffer him to be 
buried in the place appointed for the burial of Chris- 
tians." 

Of the fathers the bishop says: 

"There never was any religion, nor sect, nor state, 
nor degree, nor profession of men, but they have dis- 
liked it. Philosophers, Greeks, Lawyers, Divines, 
Catholics, heretics, all tongues and nations have ever 
thought an usurer as dangerous as a thief. The very 
sense of nature proves it to be so. If the stones could 
speak, they would say as much." 

Tacitus says: "The existence of usury for the use of 
money is one of the greatest evils of the Roman com- 
monwealth." 



USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 99. 

Aristotle says: (Book II, Chap. I.) "The practice of 
receiving usury on money is detestable." 

St. Chrysostrum says: "Nothing exceeds in barbar- 
ity the modern system of usury. Indeed, these usurers 
traffic in other people's misfortunes, seeking gain 
through their adversity; under pretense of compassion, 
they dig for the oppressed pit of misery; under pre- 
tense of giving aid they grind the indigent, extending 
the hand to receive them into the harbor from the 
storm, they allure them only to be ship-wrecked upon 
the shoals and sands of an unseen whirlpool. ' 

John Ruskin's name is familiar to everyone who 
prizes the beauties of English literature. After a care- 
ful study of human nature and the inflaences at work 
in society, he says: 

'There is nothing really more monstrous in any re- 
corded savagery or absurdity of mankind than that 
governments should be able to get money for any 
folly they may choo>e to commit by selling to capital- 
ists the right of taxing future generations to the end 
of time. All the crudest wars inflicted, all the basest 
luxuries grasped by the idle classes, are thus paid for 
by the poor a hundred times over." 

Perhaps no tongue in the world was better able to 
characterize interest than that of the late Rev. H. W. 
Beecher, who said: "No blister draws sharper than 
interest does. Of all industries, none is comparable to 
interest. It works all day and night. It makes no 
noise, but travels fast. It binds industry with its film, 
as a fly is bound in a spider's web. Debts roll a man 
over and over, binding him hand and foot, letting him 
hang upon the fatal mesh till the long-legged interest 

Lore. 



lOO. USURY VS. CASH AND CHRIST. 

devours him. There is but one thing on the arm like 
it, and that is the Canada thistle, which swarms new 
plants every time you break its roots, whose blossoms 
are prolific and every flower the father of a million 
seeds; every leaf is an awl, every branch a spear, every 
plant a platoon of bayonets, and a field of them an 
armed host. The whole plant is a torment and a vege- 
table curse, and yet a man had better make his bed of 
Canada thistles than try to be at ease upon interest. 

I will introduce but one more witness, and that the 
greatest of England's jurists and one of her ablest 
thinkers. Sir Wm. Blackstone. His testimony is touch- 
ing the position of the church upon this question. 
"The school divines have branded the practice to tak- 
ing interest as contrary to divine law, both natural and 
revealed, and the canon law proscribes the taking even 
the least increase for the loan of money as mortal sin." 

But some may possibly persist in declaring that 
"usury" in its bible sense is illegal interest. If 
this idea is followed out, it amounts to placing the law 
of usury above divine law. 

I will now leave the subject with you to ponder over 
in your own minds that you may, in th^ presence of a 
just God, decide whether you and your children are 
willing to be the slaves of the lords of usury, or 
whether you, as free men will demand of our con- 
gress sufficient money to exchange values on a cash 
basis without usury. 



80 






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